The Legend of Zelda: The Spiritual Stones
by V.N.T
Summary: As a shadow is cast over Hyrule, an unlikely child of the forest embarks on a journey see the world he has longed to see, meet its colourful denizens and fulfill the dark and light of the Goddesses' grand design. A dramatic new take on the events of OoT.
1. Chapter One: The Boy With No Fairy

**Author's Note**: This is a story inspired by one a game that needs no introduction, _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_, a game which I hold dear. You're probably already thinking of leaving this fic right now but I pray that you will give a chance this latest novelisation of this old favourite, for I intend for this to be **not a retelling** of the game's tale but a literary **reimagining** of the events within and surrounding it. **In-depth backstories **will be explored and major characters will be given **full personalities** (and hopefully be relatable to you, dear reader!) and interact with each other in ways far more meaningful than a Nintendo 64 game ever allowed (friendships, loves, hatreds, tears, the lot). Moreover, **the script is not directly lifted** from the game and places (particularly dungeons) **aren't room-by-room recreations** of the game, but will be rewritten so it reads smoothly and provides character development It's a drastically new version of an old Hyrule, and **multiple new events, conversations/interactions, characters, places, dungeons and plot points of my own will be thrown into the mix too!****  
**

This is in NO way intended to act as a half-baked walkthrough, nor as an esoteric bit of writing appreciable only by longtime fans of the game; this is meant to be a standalone, literarily respectable (I hope!) novel for any reader, Zelda fan or not. I will strive to keep the **spirit** of each of the game's locations and characters true (which means absolutely nothing that goes irrationally OOC with a character's representation in-game) but otherwise my vision is to strip the game's story down to its barest bones and use that to build a tale that will hopefully be both quietly personal and sweepingly epic enough to earn the "_**Legend**_" in its title.

**And please please _please_ review! I've had this fic going for some time but it's got a LONG way to go, so I would absolutely love _all_ the feedback and constructive criticism I can get!**

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the intellectual property of _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ nor any of the characters featured in it.

* * *

**Chapter One:  
The Boy With No Fairy**

_Smoke. So much smoke._

_An ashen cloak billowing beneath a forlorn sky, pierced only by the blinding shock of lightning above and the roaring bursts of the fire in its core. Where was he?_

_The soil underfoot, sodden; the grass, limp and browning. Dank earth sprawling as far as the darkness let him see. The land; dying, drowning, burning, suffocating._

_Hopelessness. _

_Something ahead, gargantuan, rigid and obscured in churning black. Flames rearing their heads and belching out more and more smoke, bearing down on the land, smothering it amidst the high screeching that wailed in the distance._

_Magnificent spires collapsing and walls of solid stone crumbling; foreign things, falling to a heap before his eyes._

_But of all he saw one thing took to him, the levitating, winged glow beside his head: a fairy._

_A fairy, with him…_

_"LINK!"_

_Who could possibly-?_

_And bursting from the black mass was a bright creature of majestic white clothed in purple regalia, speeding forth on four legs. As it dashed past he caught the slightest of glances; there they were, two figures riding the beast: one at the fore, tall and clad in metal; the latter cradled by the former, much smaller, in flowing dress…_

_"LINK!"_

He snapped up, eyes wide and breath heavy. It had ended. Earlier than usual, too.

But it happened. Against all his efforts he'd been dragged back into slumber, and it had returned to haunt him. A sigh; for all its darkness and terror, it couldn't touch him here; he was back with the woken. He pushed himself from the pillow of his arms, the left of his pointed ears red and aching from the weight of his head. He propped his elbows up against the table and his jaw against his hand, giving a groggy gaze to the mess of drawings, scribbles and little carved, wooden figures that looked back at him.

"LINK!" rang a voice once more. He turned; eyes wide again; _the voice, here_! He bolted across the singular, round room of his home, feet pitter-pattering on the raw wood beneath them. He burst out onto the balcony into the light of day and eagerly looked earthward to find –

"Link! Where've you been? I couldn't find you anywhere in the meadows, what have you been do-"

There she stood at the foot of his tree; arms crossed and eyes reproachful; short, leafy green hair framing her face and ocarina dangling from her necklace. Close by her side fluttered a little ball of emerald light. "Oh, Saria," he thought; light and vague disappointment manifesting in a tired exhalation. His muscles loosened and rubbed his eyes in the daylight that glowed through the village.

"-ing? Oh Link, don't tell me you were sleeping; it's afternoon! How many times has this happened in the last month?" chided Saria.

Link yawned loudly and stretched his arms, stepping away from the hollow trunk of the tree he called home. "Hi, Saria," he said, words mingling blurrily with the yawn, "Must've overworked yesterday, or my bed was too comfortable or something," trailing off meekly as the ladder came close.

Saria cocked an eyebrow and looked up at him with those glimmering greens meeting his deep ocean blues. "Sure. Either way, get yourself down here now, you've missed out on so much work and to be honest I don't know how many more excuses I can make to get Mido off your case!"

Brushing the blond of his fringe from his eyes he glanced up; the sun was high, it was close to noon. Still he hefted himself to the ground with nary a hint of urgency; "Good afternoon to you too, Saria" he said with a small, weary smile.

Saria uncrossed her arms and returned a little grin herself, unable to remain annoyed at the boy dismounting the ladder. "Here, Link" she said, in a gentler tone rather more suited to her. She threw a small parcel of twined grass to him, "It's not a lot, but there wasn't too much left, especially at this hour. Better than nothing, though, right?"

Unfurling the grass, he found two cream-coloured slices of bread nestled within, and his stomach purred with delight. "Thanks, Saria!" he said before hurriedly stuffing a whole slice into his mouth, crumbs flying and pattering to the ground. Saria giggled as he shamelessly ploughed through the bread, all the while fiddling with the strange musical instrument hanging from her necklace.

"Come on, Link, you've got work to do, I'll see you by the river in a few hours, okay?" she said, as she clasped his hand.

"See you then!" he said, dashing off past his friend. She turned and watched him, bounding away with such unusual energy for such a tired Kokiri child, traditional green tunic rippling behind him and long, green, pointed cap wagging atop his head. For just one moment she leant on the foot of that tree, a smile on her face.

"Saria, we've got to get back to work. These detours you take just to make sure he's getting to the meadows take long enough, and you don't exactly help by just standing around doing nothing!" rang the glowing green ball hovering by her side.

She sighed and left the tree behind, walking off to the meadows.

* * *

Long have I served as guardian of the vast southern forests of Hyrule; and long have I served as guide, father and patron to the ones who hide within it: the Kokiri. A curious race, thou would say no doubt, if not for their ways then certainly for their appearances. Look upon their faces and form and thou wouldst judge that they fail to age a day past their childhoods, confined to a permanent youth in the forest they call home.

Though perhaps thou couldst find the traces of childlike behavior one would expect of their stature, let not their appearance deceive thee. Verily, they live and learn through their lives years beyond what the lines of their faces may show, and one would be foolish to make light of their skills and their experiences, for their charge is a great one: the forest itself. So entwined are they to the forests that the dwell within its trees and live only within its boundaries, and indeed, as go the legends that thou may once have heard, they say that any Kokiri to leave the magic of the forest are condemned to an abrupt and agonising end.

But perhaps most curious of all are the fairies, minute spirits of the forest, each entrusted to a Kokiri and that Kokiri entrusted to it; a friend, a guard, a companion for life to each and every child.

Each child save one.

**"Navi, where art thou? Navi, come hither."**

"I'm here, Great Deku Tree, you've been looking for me?"

**"Indeed. Navi, I have brought thee here to warn of a task soon to be set out for thee, a task that thou must soon undertake. I pray that thou dost wish to fulfill my request."  
**  
"Of course, Great Deku Tree, of course!"  
**  
"Then listen, and let my loyalty lie in thy most prudent hands. These past moons of mine have been plagued by a grave malaise; dost thou feel it, the darkness that dare encroach upon us all? We have always stood strong against those that muster their machinations against Hyrule and its blessed forests, and yet surely thou sees even my powers cannot withstand that which rises against us. It doth grow ever stronger with each day that passes."  
**  
"Great Deku Tree, what are you talking about? What could there possibly be in the world out there that would want anything from us? That would come to seek anything from here of all places?"

**"A threat that none of the Kokiri could fathom nor stand against. I fear I may have to call on thee again shortly, I beg that thou remain vigilant in thy waking."  
**  
"… Yes Great Deku Tree, I shall."

* * *

He watched the clouds float by, letting his legs dangle from the tree beneath him, its branches clean of seeds and berries by his efforts. No doubt Saria was finished in the meadows and would be on her way to the river, that distinct emerald head ready to bob into sight any moment now.

In all his watching and waiting he only wished he'd had the foresight to bring something to draw the peaceful scene laid out before him: the little enclave of Kokiri Village basking in the forest's warmth and glow, the cliff walls lit in soft, creamy hues; the Lost Woods' trees tickling the sky in the wind; the houses dotted through the village: the twin trees of the Know-It-All Brothers to the right, the stout house of Mido to the left, and the diminutive abode of Saria on the far side near the clefts in the border, not far off from Link's own home.

The view was barely given time to soak in when he felt something fly past his head, "Damn it! Just missed!" blared a familiarly nasal voice, "Oi you! Your turn!"

"Sure thing, Boss!" sounded a lower voice, and with it came a sharp knock to Link's shoulder blade. He jerked forward and felt the branch lurch worryingly; gripping it tight, he slowly turned himself around, facing straight into the sun. And though he was squinting, there he saw three blurred figures on the ground, one short, two tall, looking up at him.

"Hah! I knew it was him, I can recognize a moron any day," rang the nasal voice, "Gimme another shot." Link saw the short figure bend over slightly before standing up with a raised hand; he knew what was coming. Reflexes pulsed and he swung leftward, slamming flat against the branch. He heard the stone whiz over his body, almost thinking himself lucky enough to let go a sigh of relief.

And then came the strange sensation of the branch beginning to drop ever so slowly, that small crackle of cracking fibre and bark overshadowed by the loud giggling coming from below. He moaned in disdain and shut his eyes tight; _"This may hurt a little."_

A sharp crunch and snap accompanied his face into grass before his ears were blasted by raucous laughter. "Jeez, No-Fairy, if you were gonna go and do that yourself we wouldn't have wasted them good rocks on you!" came the nasal jeer, the stomps of heavy footfalls blundering past, that obnoxious laughter and snorting following it off into the distance, lingering for what felt far too long.

He made it a point that he couldn't hear them before rolling himself over and looking up to the jagged point that jutted out pathetically from the tree he'd only just been perched on. _It was a low branch_, he told himself, _you could've been a lot worse off_. For the moment he needed only to nurse a numb nose, an aching right hand and a bruised pride.

With a resigned huff he blew the strands of grass from his face, stuffing this latest incident into that box he kept stowed away in the back of his head. It's not like he should've been surprised, he thought, Mido hadn't done anything to him in the past few days, it was really more his fault for not seeing it coming. _Figures, I pick the only branch in this village that can't carry one lousy Kokiri. Just my luck._

He sat up and took stock of the assorted debris scattered around him from the fall, flotsam on a grass sea. There lay a sizeable section of the branch feebly lying feebly next to him. And there along the length of the branch it caught his eye; a stocky offshoot, poking up out of the grass, prodding at his attention and his imagination.

He snapped the segment free and twirled it over and over, its intriguing shape holding his mind's eye, an almost straight stick that split itself into a perfect 'Y'. Upon the wood he saw the beginnings of an idea float to the front of his head; if only he had his knife…

"Link, what happened?"

Link looked up from his hands to see Saria standing with a blonde Kokiri beside her, confused by the spread of small timber surrounding him. "Oh hi Saria," he said, "I'm okay, just fell out of the tree, that's all. Those branches sure look sturdier than they are," He hastily straightened himself up and tried to rearrange his face into a smile as best as he could.

"Really? Are you alright?"

"It's alright, I'm fine. No, really, it's alright!" he put up his hand to stop her as she moved forward. "If I could just say one thing, I really don't recommend the grass here, it tastes awful," he said as he spat lightly, little strands of grass flying off his face and drifting to the ground, "But hey, I think it might've just been worth it, check out what I've found!" and he brandished the little, wooden 'Y'.

"Ooh, Link! What're you going to make out of this one?" she asked, eyes running up and down the segment.

"I've got something a little different in mind for this; it's going to be perfect." He mimed, pulling something taut between the prongs of the stick; he shut one eye and feigned consternated aiming. "And then bam, right in the back of Mido's head! This might just be my best yet!"

"A slingshot? Don't you go causing too much trouble around the village, Link, I'm not sure that many Kokiri would appreciate its ingenuity while it's smacking rocks into their heads," said Saria.

"What? I just want to honour 'The Great Mido' with the blessing of my latest creation."

As Saria giggled, Link noticed the blonde Kokiri standing aloof, keeping her distance from where he sat, an odd sort of look on her face as she eyed him from afar. Saria stopped laughing and turned, only then remembering the presence of the blonde. "Oh, Fado, forgot you were there, silly me," she said, giving a half-hearted laugh, "Guess I'll see you around this evening, right?"

Fado turned to her and gave a wry smile, "Sure thing, see you then." She took a last glance at Link and added with a smirk "Take care, Saria," before taking off down the hill.

Saria leant forward and offered her hand as if Fado hadn't said a thing, her ocarina swinging down to dangle beneath her head as she stood with an outstretched arm, "Need some help?" she asked, and Link clutched her by the palm, dragging himself to his feet.

"Well, looks like you've managed to make your way here without falling out of anything, how's the day been treating you?" said Link.

"Managed to plant nearly half a bagful today!" said Saria, "I know that's not exactly an entire a meadow; I mean, you've planted more before; but it's more than I could say for most of the others! Especially Fado back there, spending the whole time chatting away with Lati."

"Oh and you didn't talk to anybody at all? Careful now, you sound as if you could be turning into me!" jested Link, smiling.

"Hey!" said Saria, playfully pushing Link, "Worse things could happen than that; we've all got to work hard. Or at least look like we are; I don't think any of us wants to give Mido a reason to try and boss us into weeding out the front of his house like he did with Remi, do we?"

"Hah," he scoffed, "If he could actually make me do anything, he'd have me weeding his house and cleaning out all the rocks from the front of it; he'd probably have me shining his shoes too, knowing him."

"He'd have a whole group of people dedicated just to shining his shoes, that silly Mido."

"Yeah, 'silly'…"

It was a leisurely walk to the river, one of chatter and laughter, carrying them downstream alongside the banks. And so it seemed the further they followed the little stream, the more Link found himself fixated upon its flow, endlessly pondering. "Where do you think it goes?" he asked, watching the bubbles and ripples slipping around the rocks that lay along the banks, winding its way throughout the village.

"You mean after the Lost Woods?" said Saria, looking up to find her friend gazing so intently.

"Yeah; what's beyond the trees? Who do you think is out there, all the time, while we're in here? Do you think they drink the water? Do you think they _need_the water like we do? I mean, we know so much about the forests, but think about all the stuff that's going on out there, think about what the world could be like," spoke Link in rapt wonderment.

"We'll never know, Link; you know just as well as me, Saria, or any of the Kokiri that none of you could ever make it beyond the trees before the life of the Forest deserted you!" chimed Aelie, Saria's bright green fairy.

"But wouldn't it be something if we could…" said Link.

"I'd say you'd best do like everyone else and just keep your head down and focused on the Forest, it's not like we don't have things to deal with here," said Aelie sternly, "I don't see why you dream of things like this".

"I know, I know. But I can't help it! Think about it!" He turned to Saria, voice picking up speed, "The things that we could be missing! I mean, they could be beyond anything we could ever imagine, what with us stuck in the forest all the time. All the creatures, all the people, all the places that there might be, if only we could see through the trees; with all those possibilities we'll never know, there's no end to what can be out there. Heck, _I_might even find a place out there.

"Hm, Link? 'A place'?" asked Saria.

"Oh just, y'know, bigger house, bigger village, just kind of stuff like that," he said hastily, tacking a laugh to the sentence's end.

"I see… Well we've heard stories, Link," reminded Saria, "Remember? When the Deku Tree used to get all the Kokiri and fairies together at dusk, and we'd sit in the meadow as he went through all those fabulous tales about the world? It's been so long since then…"

"Longer for me," Link mumbled, turning his head to the river again, "Mido and his goons tied me to a tree the last time the Deku Tree told the rest of you a story."

"Oh…" Saria said, embarrassed, "Well it's been long for me too! It's been an age since the Great Deku Tree told any of us a story! In fact, it's been an age since we've heard much from the Deku Tree at all; I wonder what he's been up to?"

Link took his gaze away from the water and back to the path they were traveling through Kokiri Village. He watched the tiny village market go by, a sparse smattering of shops and stalls arranged in a haphazard circle, hawking a variety of rudimentary wares and forest foods. "Do you reckon he really meant them, the stories? I remember when he used to tell us about the places without trees, places even bigger than the meadows, markets that could cover the whole village twice over…"

"And houses carved from stone," Saria continued, "some rising taller than the tallest forest oaks..."

"And the creatures!" said Aelie distantly, melting to the nostalgia.

"Ones that lived off of huge, rocky mountains," said Link, "Ones that lived under the waves. Some creatures with two legs like ours, some with four…"

"And we'd sit by the Deku Tree's roots," said Saria absentmindedly, gazing at nothing in particular, "And the sun would slip through his leaves and the fairies and fireflies would light up the grove, and we'd fall asleep right there on the grass."

Link sighed faintly, "Oh if we could hear one of his stories again…"

"It can't be too long now, right?" said Saria, "I mean, he's overdue and he knows it!"

"Maybe I'll ask him just what it's like out there, whether the stories were true, whether one day I can see that world and all those places and creatures," pondered Link.

Saria paused momentarily, her eyes stopping on Link, "I'm sure there must be a way out of here," she said, "Don't you remember when the Great Deku Tree told us about what the world used to be like, when the Kokiri used to go out there beyond the forests? Of course there had to be some way they left the forests back then. And the stories! The one about the Lost Stone Child of the Mountain, who wandered through that passageway in the woods, remember that? Sure they might be stories but you never know. He must know about some kind of secret to seeing the world; we can't all be meant to stay cooped up in the Village forever, can we?"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah," said Saria kindly, "Why not?" and with that she turned her gaze to the ripples weaving along the river's surface

"I hope you're right," said Link, sighing a little. Saria merely smiled back and put a hand on his shoulder.


	2. Chapter Two: Differences

**Chapter Two:  
Differences**

The afternoon sun filtered through the twilight over the Kokiri Forest, growing redder as it approached its resting place somewhere behind the trees. Pinkish warmth bathed the creamy cliff-faces and emerald treetops of the East Meadow, bringing with it a sense of peace as the toiling Kokiri relinquished their work for the day.

Link had kept his head well down during his planting duties, as he so often did, but took a rare moment to look up and see the setting sun. He saw his fellow Kokiri and their fairies departing the meadow through the border of trees in the distance, the little creatures talking, laughing and chattering away with their childlike companions.

_Just in time_, he thought to himself, and he turned to the bag lying by his knees, all but spilt. When he turned it upside down there dropped into his hand only a final, lone seed, ready to be buried. He placed it into the ditch he'd dug just for it, brushing soil back over the miniscule, hard casing within the ditch and emptying the remaining water from his canteen onto the patch. He patted down the soil caringly, talking to it as usual. "Big and strong, that's how you're going to be, just you wait, I know you're going to do it."

Looking around the bright green meadow he felt at an utmost peace that he seldom found elsewhere. It had become smaller than it was the first time he laid eyes on it all those years ago, and he wondered just how many of the trees that lined its edges were his. He'd always prided himself on how well he cultivated his trees, and without a fairy of his own, so much of his time and care went into the work in the meadows. He loved the planting season more than any other. There was something about watching the trees go from tiny saplings to magnificent pillars, something that got to him, that filled him with joy

He put the cap back on his canteen and drew the string on his pouch, and as he pulled it tight he began to get to his feet.

"Plant seeds in your own damn meadow, No-Fairy!" jeered a nasal yell, flying into Link's face, swiftly accompanied by a cloud of dust.

His eyes snapped shut to fend off the sting. A jolt, and his foot slid across a large pebble, toppling him and sending his entire body into the dirt. His elbow jarred as it hit the ground, and his leg seemed to burn as it grazed the earth, and for the second time that day, because of the very same Kokiri, he found his head against soil. He turned his head to his side and spat with all his might, trying to clear his mouth of the horrible grainy sensation that coated it.

He opened his eyes and turned his head back to face the sky and saw an all-too-familiar face looking down on him; scruffy brown hair atop a head with a frowning brow, bulbous cheeks and contemptuous eyes, a glowing ball of a fairy hovering beside it. Mido poked out his tongue and spat a fat raspberry down on Link.

"Mido," Link whispered, squinting in disdain, "Pah…why, Mido? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"'_Why?_' Mr. No-Fairy?" said Mido, getting up and turning from him to leave. Abruptly he stopped, looking back one more time. He paused, before kicking Link's hat from his head and turning away once more. He was already walking away by the time it came skidding to a halt some distance away. "Because you aren't going to stop me, that's why." And then he was out of sight.

Link closed his eyes again in an effort to ward off the burning (which he assured himself was due to the dust). He swallowed hard and pushed himself to his feet with his hands, wiping his face on his sleeve and fighting off the water in his eyes. He felt his hair ruffle in the dusky wind and searched about for his long cap, seeing it lying about ten or so feet away.

Having returned the cap to its place atop his rough blond head, he walked forward to pick up his canteen and pouch once again. As he looked down he noticed that Mido had kicked up the dirt covering the last seed he'd planted. Groaning heavily, he bent down and replaced the soil over it. "Don't let him get to you little guy, let's see him kick you up after you've grown!" he shakily encouraged the seed.

Straightening his cap again he took to the path out of the meadow, shoving the run-in into that ever-filling box, its expanding sides pressing against his skull. No matter how many times Mido brought his fist down, Link always felt the same sharp hurt within; though he desperately hid it from Mido, lest he see Link at his weakest. This time it seemed to sting him physically, too; his legs felt numbed and his head was spinning, all in a daze from the fall.

The same old thoughts ran through his mind. He felt the venom of the words and the spite of the dust bite into him, the malice running deeper than usual. He'd come to expect as much from Mido when there stood nobody by his side, nothing but scorn as his companion against the one boy he despised so much.

He sauntered near the foot of a sharp cliff that marked the Eastern Edge of the Kokiri Forest, the wilderness of the Lost Woods laying claim to the land beyond it. The path diverged from the cliff face and went straight through the meadow into the forest's wall of trees, becoming ever more shadowy in the dying light of day. His mind was awash as he continued trying to suppress the memory of dust in his face and mouth, and that despicable ringing of "Mr. No-Fairy". He went about-face to look at the sky turn dark behind the cliffs and catch a last look at the meadow, trying to drown the memories with the satisfaction of a hard day's work.

Just before he turned he caught sight of a small shadow peeking out from the top of the cliff, in front of the trees that lined its edge. A woodland creature, he thought, a woodland creature making its way back to the Northern Dens to escape the Lost Woods night. Strange, though, what was it doing out here this late anyway?

He shrugged it off and returned to the path, finally being enveloped by the forest.

* * *

Atop his stallion he saw the trees clearing and the earth coming to drop. He halted his steed, and took a moment to look upon the forest he'd come to find, staring a fiery contempt directly into the setting sun. Oh how forgiving it was to the land here, renouncing its gentle warmth for the cool breeze of nightfall. Envy stirred within, teeth gritting and sharp steel gauntlets stiffly clenching leather bridles. Beneath him lay an expanse of lush, plain grass, bordered by trees that rustled gently in the sway of the wind. Trees. So many trees. And out there, that one tree amongst the thousands.

He sneered, stretching out his hand. He swore he could reach out and take it all into his grasp now. "You…" he muttered, as if to the forest itself, "You will be undone…"

He pulled on the bridles; and with that continued along the path to the south.

* * *

Link dashed out of his house and leapt down from his balcony, with absolutely no regard for the ladder. He went pell-mell through the dimness of twilight's end, the rush of wind against his face inaudible over the internal abuse he was yelling at himself.

_You idiot! 'Mouth of the woods, _before sunset_'! You've been late for a _lot_of things, but you've _never_been late for Saria! And you wonder why she gets ticked off at you?_ He reached the edge of the village in what must have been some sort of record time, and saw the mouth of the Lost Woods, a large hole cut out of a hillside and reinforced by a frame made from the hollowed trunk of a long-gone tree.

She was sitting beside the cave, knees curled tight and arms holding her little white ocarina to her chest. She was right where she said she would be; exactly where he should have been an hour ago.

_Gosh, she waited, she actually waited,_ thought Link, unable to stop a smile and a warm rush of blood, _You're just lucky she hasn't outright given up__on you, you dolt._

He came close to Saria, looking intently at her. Her eyes were closed, hard as it was to tell when her fringe came down over her face like that. He pushed the hair away and looked upon his the dozing visage of his friend, so entranced by the simple sight of her sleep that a small part of him didn't think it seemed right to wake her.

"Saria?" he whispered, to no result. "Saria?" he said, slightly louder, prodding her shoulder a little, to no result yet again. He hesitated for a moment; part of him content enough to sit here next to her for however long it'd take for her wake up herself, before giving it another go. "Saria!" he said louder still, shaking her shoulder lightly, and at last she stirred beneath those eyelids

She sighed and released her legs from her chest, putting her arms down to her sides and yawning. Emerald eyes blinked rapidly as she mumbled, in a daze, "Link? Link is that you?"

"Yes, Saria, it's me, it's me!"

"You're late..."

"I'm so sorry it took me so long; I just got so caught up in the meadows and...I was really busy, and when I went home I was so tired and I took so long and I just wanted to lie down but - oh please don't be mad," Link apologized in guilty fervour.

"Oh Link, don't worry, I know how much you care about the meadows, if you weren't working yourself half to death for those trees I don't know if I'd… well you wouldn't be my friend," she said back, smiling at the waking sight of Link.

Link grinned in relief and she wrapped her arms around him, "Besides," she said, "you'd never be dumb enough to forget about me, right?"

"Never!" he said.

Saria's smile suddenly vanished as she looked down over Link's shoulder and released herself from the hug. Her eyes went inquisitive in a flash. "Link, what happened to you in the meadows?" she asked, motioning towards his leg.

Link looked down in puzzlement and saw nothing wrong with his shin, "What are you on about, Saria? Everything was fine in the meadows!"

"No, Link, the back, look at the back!"

Link twisted his leg and body around to get a better look at his calf, and soon found himself just as surprised as Saria. There was a small gash coating a patch of his leg in dark crimson. He looked up again to Saria, now on her feet, still seeking an explanation.

"Hah, that… must've been when I… uh, was planting the seeds and I guess I must've… fallen and cut myself," he said.

"You _guess_ you fell and cut yourself?"

"Yeah, I ran into a – um - I ran into…" He gave up, she saw right through him; she always saw right through him.

"… Mido." They both said, and Link bowed his head in shame.

"There we go," said Saria sprightly as she wrapped the leafy bandage across Link's leg. She lathered her hands in a bucket of soapy water and stood up, reaching for a cloth to dry her hands.

"Thanks, Saria…" said Link, keeping his eyes on anything but hers. His legs swayed nervously on the bench he sat on as he watched Saria move to the window and lean on the sill, the moonlight mingling over her with the flicker of the walls' lanterns. As she fiddled with her ocarina again, he anxiously awaited the question.

"Please Link, you can trust me."

"No, you don't have to know… it was nothing…" His face was angling ever downward.

"I know it wasn't 'nothing', Link, you have to tell me. I want to know, I want to help."

"But it's _nothing_, I… he just…"

"What did he do? Link, please…"

"You know him, just an ugly, dumb brute…" His voice was shaking and his eyes wrenching shut.

"Don't say that…"

"Of course I'll say that!" He lashed back, jumping up from the bench and standing to face her, fists clenched at his sides. "He just pushes me around, spits in my eye, says whatever he wants as if his word is law. He hates me!" His voice rose as he felt the pressure against the back of his eyes, his fair skin going a shade of pink and red. "And why? Why? He never says! It's just one attack after another, time after time, calling me '_Mister No-Fairy_', and trying to turn the whole village against me! Today, last week, last month, as long as I can remember! He's nothing but a monster!"

Saria stopped; there was a small silence. "But what…what if there is a reason? I mean, you can't really, well, rule it out can you? Nobody is really a monster, Link, I'm sure there's at least a shred of a soul in every being, even Mido." she replied, her expression now dropping to face the wooded floor as well.

A small shock ran through Link, "Are you _defending _Mido?"

"I'm just trying to help you see clearer… that's all, I don't mean to make what he did to you look any less awful," she said, quietly.

"After all this, after everything he's done to me, how can anybody possibly think that there's a soul in that fat head of his?" His voice was swelling and his eyes glistening in the firelight.

Saria stepped away from the window, forcing her own eyes dry. "Link, tell me; I know you're shy, but I've seen you take so much more than Mido. Heck, I've seen you take on those snobby Know-It-All Brothers, all three at a time! Remember? You even managed to get two of them speechless, which considering them you know is impressive," she said, forcing a laugh but failing to draw one back from him.

He trembled.

"What does he say, Link? Why do his words do this to you?"

Link gave a singular, quiet gasp of a sob; holding himself back as best he could.

"Link?"

He swallowed and finally the questions came pouring. "Why am _I_ different? Why do so many of the others treat _me_ like I'm _different_?" he asked, voice falling half-beneath his breath. "Why does Mido pick on _me_? Why do I feel like I'm stuck in some place I was never meant to be in, like even the Forest doesn't want me? And, please, tell me, Saria, just please tell me… why won't a fairy come for me?"

His eyes pleaded for her to know.

Saria stood staring back at him, her face seeming unable to move in the candles' flicker, so still and so quiet for what felt like minutes on end. Her eyes never left his. At last she drew a breath.

"One day your fairy will come," she started, "It's only a matter of time, but whether he or she is here or not doesn't change _you_. So you don't have a fairy right now, that just makes you different/ What does it matter? You're different, I'm different, and all of them are too, in big and small ways. That's just the way we are.

"It's different, Saria. _I'm_ different."

"Different? Yeah, you're different, who the heck isn't? I was different, they made fun of me for it, and if that's what's happening to you then tell me; how exactly is your advice any less valid? _Listen_ to yourself, and trust yourself with that much for once! Don't let them get to you for being you and they'll drop it; they'll always drop it eventually. And then they can get a chance to meet Link, not this 'Mr. No-Fairy' I keep hearing about; and if they don't then that's just too bad for them, isn't it?"

"Hah, they'd be counting themselves lucky to have never met me," scoffed Link, wiping his eye with the back of his hand.

"Lucky, Link?" asked Saria, disbelief crossing her, "If you ask me, meeting you might've just been the luckiest part of my life."

"Oh come on, me? Knowing me might be the only mistake you've ever made...I mean, look at me! I'm the youngest one in the village for starters, I can hardly do anything right but plant trees, and on top of all that I'm not even good enough for a fairy. Yeah, I'm just fantastic…"

"Don't you go saying that! Link, I swear one of these days you'll just step back, and maybe then you'll see yourself like I see you: a sweet, smart, caring and absolutely amazing boy. That's the boy you are and that's the boy I became friends with."

"No, that's not - you can't," He turned away, staring into the floor once more as he shook his head, "Saria, you can't honestly -"

"I do. And don't you dare try to disagree with me."

"… Amazing?" he asked, softly.

"Amazing."

He opened his mouth, but the words weren't there. He bit his lip and simply continued to look away.

She smiled and came over in front of him, placing her hands upon his shoulders. "Honest to the Goddesses, amazing; fairy or no fairy. And you know why? It's because you're _different_. Keep that brilliant head of yours up, okay? Our differences are what make us great, Link, and believe me; you're going to be greater than anybody else here."

He looked up. She had let but one tear get away.

Link finally smiled, and they embraced.


	3. Chapter Three: Navi

**Chapter Three:  
Navi**

_Smoke, flame, screams, lightning…_

_Despondently familiar mud slipped around his feet and before him once more were the blazing stones and the screech of screams rising from within that churning black smoke._

'…_Houses taller than the tallest forest oaks…'_

_And there it was; a globe of light, floating near his head. The fairy. The fairy was here, __**his **__fairy._

_He opened his mouth to speak to it when the white creature split the smoke and tore past him. _

'…_Some with four legs…'_

"_LINK!" came the cry. It was the person on the creature, a girl! A Kokiri? He couldn't ponder on it, she needed him! But what was her name?_

_Name? Forget that, who was she at all?_

_Fishing his mind from the confusion he watched the creature rush away, and saw the girl hurl something past him, her wailed words muffled amidst the rain before she was fast gone in the blur of the downpour. He watched the object fly out of his reach towards the blazing walls. He turned to follow it when…no! Not again!_

_He stared into a pair of burning red orbs and was struck by a foreboding aura. It was another four-legged beast, dark as the smoke it stood against. He turned his head upward to see a silhouette against the burning horizon; tall and muscular, singularly terrifying in its gaze, glaring down from beneath a crown of red hair._

_Frozen, again. He tried to rip his feet from their standings, but it was all in vain. There he was, fixed in that same, hopeless mud by terror._

_The figure raised its arm…_

* * *

"**I fear that our time will soon be through. I believe the day has come that the **_**boy with no fairy **_**finds his beginning. So fly, Navi, fly, find our young friend and bring him here, the path of Hyrule doth depend on it.**"

"Yes, Great Deku Tree, without delay!"

* * *

Link shivered despite the sheets blanketing him from the late morning draft, tossing himself from side to side in his narrow bed, groaning and wincing as he brushed his hands out in front of himself to ward off a menace that was not there.

"Urgh, who even puts a fence there anyway? This boy better be worth the headache," spoke a high-pitched feminine voice.

He did not notice the fairy that had drifted into his house moments ago, bobbing up and down in the air, musing to itself and massaging its head softly beneath its veil of exquisitely bright light. It floated by his face and came ever closer, glaring at his shut eyes and furrowed brow, "Great, just great, at home at this hour," she said, "and _sleeping _no less."

She took a breath and raised her voice. "Link! Hello!"

He didn't budge.

"Hey! Listen! Get your head on straight and _wake up_!" She yelled again.

Still nothing.

"Sheesh! The 'path of Hyrule' resting in the hands of such a terribly_ lazy _boy? By the Goddesses we're all doomed already! For the love of Farore would you just wake up?" And with that the fairy began to flutter erratically about, up and down, kicking the sleeping boy repeatedly with her tiny legs in the hopes that _something _would finally break his slumber.

And with one last hit to the face he was awake.

"NO! GET AWAY!" He screamed, throwing off his blanket, arms flailing up to cover his head, fear etched upon his face.

The fairy was flung back in fright, zooming away from the berserk child. "What on Din's earth are you -?" she started, only to realize that he was cowering, holed up in the corner of his bed, curled over and quivering. She swore she almost began to feel sorry for this (nonetheless lazy) child.

He peeked through his fingers and saw he was back in his house, the smoky fields having dissolved into woody walls and floors, and the lightning having faded to sunlight filtering in through his window. And of course the fairy had vanished too, becoming a…

"A _fairy_!" he cried, excited beyond belief.

"'A fairy' he calls me, how rude!" she said, remembering that he had nearly smacked her clean across the room, "I have a name, you indolent child!"

But as Link's common sense returned to him, excitement quickly turned to cynicism. "Wait…" he said, eyeing the fairy warily, "Who put you up to this? What is this, some kind of joke? Does Mido still think this is _funny_; sending little Mister No Fairy a fairy 'of his own'? Didn't get his fill attacking me twice yesterday, did he? Come on, Mido!" He called out his window, "I know you're there, I'm not falling for this one again!"

"What are you talking about? What does he have to do with anything? I'm here because the Great Deku Tree sent me, not some arrogant, little delinquent!"

"Mido has everything to do with -" he stopped dead. Could it possibly be, had the day come? "The Great Deku Tree sent… and you're… for me?"

"Yes! But if you don't stop going around yelling at me and trying to hit my wings off I think might just go back and tell the Great Deku Tree to go find another fairy for you!" she snapped.

"Oh I'm – wow - you're really… mine?" he stuttered, not quite at grips.

"_Yes_!"

"…Oh gosh, I'm - I didn't mean to say that - or hit you - it's just that I've thought for so long now that one of you would never come, that I'd always be…"

"… the Boy With No Fairy?"

"Yeah, No-Fairy…"

The fairy's sympathy cooled her temper, and her glow shrunk as she tried to get back to the task at hand. "Not anymore!" she said, "Come on, chin up, Link; I can't get you to the Great Deku Tree if you're going to lie here all day!"

Link's eyes widened as they went to the fairy, "He wants to see me? Now?" he asked, feeling a touch of excitement rushing back.

"Yes! So we ought to be on our way, wouldn't you agree?" the fay urged,

"Oh, of course, thank you so much Miss - um, sorry, what was your name?"

The fairy faltered over her own rudeness, "Ah, sorry! Where are my manners? You can call me Navi." She answered courteously.

"Thank you so much, Miss Navi!" Link completed.

Navi gave a tiny giggle, "Navi, Link, just Navi."

_Navi. Navi the fairy_, he reflected, starting to feel a little giddy as the exhilaration crept to his head_, My fairy._ He jumped out of his bed, "C'mon! Let's not keep the Great Deku Tree waiting!" he said, and he gleefully sprinted for the exit. As he broke into the light of day he grabbed the ladder and didn't even bother with the lower rungs, his feet hitting the ground and barely stopping before they were in a mad dash.

The houses and trees rushed past him in a green and brown blur, heads turning as numerous Kokiri glimpsed him running through the village and leaping fences. He saw the market whiz by and halted for a moment as Navi continued speeding ahead quite some distance before realising it. "Wait just a moment," he called, "I have to see one person, just before we do anything else."

"What? The Great Deku Tree -"

But he was already off, working his way up the hill by the river's edge. "Well I never…" muttered Navi, before grudgingly following.

Saria was sitting in the bough of a tree, gathering Deku seeds from its branches when she saw Link sprinting up the slope, "Link, I'm up here!" she called, waving her arm.

"Saria! Saria! Get down here quick! I've got something to tell you!" said Link, sliding to a halt, "Come on! Hurry up!" His animated behaviour was raising the eyebrows of the few other Kokiri sitting in the trees around him, looks and silent questions being cast from branch to branch.

Saria leapt and landed a few feet in front of him. "Are you alright? Is something wrong? It's not Mido is it?" she said, rather startled.

He shook his head, "Nope! I'm perfectly fine; in fact, I'd say I'm doing better than ever!" he said as he began to jitter up and down, itching to break the news. "Notice anything different about me?" he asked brightly.

"Well you're awake for once, and it's not even eleven o' clock yet; that's certainly a difference. I know that's quite an achievement for you but I _am_ trying to work-" She tilted her head and watched him bob, "What's the matter?" she said.

"Anything at all? Come on, just take a look," he said, beaming from ear to ear.

"No, I…" and then she saw the little blue light floating just behind him, tiny insect wings fluttering up and down, and she was absolutely stunned. "Oh wow, Link… you… your own fairy! A _fairy_! One finally came! Oh Link I'm so happy for you, this is amazing!"

The trees began to hum with murmurs and whispers abound of the fay by Link's side. Jaws dropped and hands flew to cover gasps of disbelief. Meanwhile, Saria couldn't help herself from skipping up and down too as Link's exuberance caught on.

"I know! This is the best day ever! I'm a true Kokiri, and I can finally tell Mido to shove it and shut up!" said Link, "Let me introduce you two, her name's Navi!"

Saria bent forward to get a closer look, "Hi there, Navi, I'm Saria! It's so great for you to be Link's fairy after so long!"

Navi flew forward, "Hello, pleased to meet you, Saria," she said politely.

"Can I just say, you've really hit the jackpot with this boy," Saria said, pointing her thumb at Link, "You couldn't have ended up with anybody better."

"Oh really, now? Well I guess that means I'm just the luckiest fairy in the forest then, aren't I?" mused Navi airily before quickly returning to her task, "Link, we really don't have time to dawdle, the Great Deku Tree's still waiting!"

"Is that true, Link? The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you?" asked Saria.

Link nodded, grin still all over his face.

Saria stepped back a little, "Just you? What an honour! What are you doing here talking to me? I'll be waiting for you when you get back; just don't make me the one responsible for when you get in trouble for stalling the Great Deku Tree's request! Go on!" she urged.

"You heard the lady, let's get going!" pressed Navi.

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" yelled Link, already running back down the hill.

He cleared the river in three bounds, boisterously jumping from stone to stone, and passed through the last clearing of houses before the passage to the Great Deku Tree at the west end of the village. He spotted the tunnel hewn out of the rock wall getting closer and closer in front of him, and picked up his speed until-

"HAH!"

The next thing he felt was the ground slamming into him as his entire body flipped forward. Removing his head from the grass he heard laughter coming from behind him, and that unmistakable voice.

Mido withdrew his foot and admired his work, watching the little runt pick himself up off the ground. "Well, well, what's the rush?" he said with a smirk, as his two little henchmen surrounded Link, "Got somewhere ya got to be going to?"

Link stared back at Mido; quiet, confident.

"Eh? Come on then, the great Mido wants an answer!" said Mido, stepping forward, an action his tall, heavyset accomplices quickly followed.

"Yeah, answer the great Mido!" they said in thuggish unison.

"Get out of my way Mido," said Link as he wiped soil from his tunic, quiet confidence in his voice, "The Great Deku Tree's asked to see me, and you wouldn't dare make _him _wait, would you?" A smirk of his own began to form.

"Huh? The Great Deku Tree? Yeah, right; like he would've asked to see _you _of all people, and not _me_. Did you really think that was gonna work, Mr. No-Fairy?"

At that point, Navi came buzzing out from behind Link, glowing hotly. Link stuck his chest out and looked upon the ball of her light loftily, "What was that you just called me, oh 'Great Mido'?" he said.

A look of surprise crossed Mido's face before it was hastily replaced by a look of cynical examination. "A fairy, eh…" he squinted at Navi, "So whose did ya go and borrow huh?"

"'Borrow'?" said Navi indignantly, "I'll have you know that I am _Link_'s fairy, thank you very much."

Mido kept squinting, from Navi to Link and back,"I guess it doesn't matter anyway, though, fairy or not you're still not welcome with us!"

"Say what you want, Mido, I don't care," said Link, "I know that I'm a Kokiri, so back off and let me through!"

"So now I'm supposed to believe that all of a sudden the Great Deku Tree gave you a fairy for no reason _and _wants to talk to just you? Puh-lease, don't treat me like I'm an idiot; it's not like we're all as stupid as _you_."

Before Link could respond, Navi burst out, "Listen here you little brat, I don't know why you think you own this place but the Great Deku Tree has _ordered_ that I bring Link to speak to him so unless you want to be expelled from this forest for good I'd suggest that you get yourself out of our way!"

Mido's was shocked into silence; thoughts scrambled fuming to a rosy red, desperate to halt Link from taking the honour that couldn't possibly be his. "Hmph, just typical; when you're not getting Saria to fight your fights, you go and get a fairy to do it," he jeered. "Well, even if you really are supposed to go see the Deku Tree," Mido said, slowing, "It's… real dangerous out there, beyond the village. I mean, none of us have been to see the Deku Tree in so long, who knows what sorts of creatures have taken up the path. Right, boys?" He put up his hand and beckoned for his cronies.

"Yeah, you don't wanna get hurt, do ya'?" they said, taking up their positions and walling off the path. One of them pushed Link in the shoulder, "Do ya?" he repeated dumbly.

Link swatted him away and glowered, astonished that Mido's loathing for him ran so deep, "Just let me get through, you jerk!" he said, a familiar frustration returning, "The Great Deku Tree summoned me, doesn't that mean a thing to you?" Incensed; he walked straight up to Mido, only inches between them.

Mido just sneered. "No need to get angry, it's only for your own good," he said sardonically, "A little guy like you could get yourself hurt."

Link took a step forward and moved his arm before Navi fluttered in front of his face, "Wait!" she whispered, causing him to pause for a moment, "He's an annoying little punk but let's not get petty, you're better than him! I know something we can get that will really make him shut up!"

He hesitated; trembling fist at the ready, Mido standing there with that sneer still all over his face. "Fine," Link said, lowering his arm and backing away, "One day, Mido, trust me…"

"Just like I thought, a wimp is still a wimp, even with a fairy. Get outta' my sight, and don't ya come back 'til you're 'properly equipped'!' Mido called after him. "Whenever that is," he added to his cackling lackeys.

Striding at a bitter gait, Link tried his best to let the words bounce off his back, but the thought of Mido's victory was inescapable. "Great, I'm never going to see the Great Deku Tree now, just great. Even when I have a fairy, no matter what I do he's always got to be going around ruining everything for me," he fumed.

"Hey, didn't I say I had an idea?" interjected Navi.

"Oh yeah, 'something that'll really shut him up'? Like I can get an actual sword and shield for that moron."

"And if you can?"

"Hah! And just where are we supposed to get them? Those things don't even exist anymore. Couldn't we just find some way around him?"

"Hey, don't you go using that tone with me! I'll have you know that there's no other way in this village to get to the Great Deku Tree. And besides, where's the fun in just sneaking around him? You'll see, there's no way he's going to want to trifle with you again after this."


	4. Chapter Four: Hidden Steel

**Chapter Four:  
Hidden Steel**

The hill became sheer as it met the outermost of the village walls, leaping up into a near vertical cliff, above which the trees of the Lost Woods towered. Link looked at them, apprehensive and agitated still, "You can't tell me I'm supposed to _climb _this to get past Mido."

"No, no, of course not!" said Navi, flying out of her refuge in Link's hat, "That wouldn't do you any good anyway; there's nothing of use up there."

"Then what was the point in coming? There's nothing here."

"Take a closer look."

Link looked slowly from left to right, "Well I guess the rock looks kind of nice."

"Oh very funny. Look down!"

He crouched and scanned the bottom of the cliff, and after a moment of inspection he saw what Navi was pointing to; a small hole in the cliff face, barely visible through the thickets of grass growing in front of it, "So that's where you want me to go? Through there?"

"Of course."

"And this is supposedly going to get us past Mido?"

"Yes."

"I still don't see why I can't just take care of him with a nice, solid pebble," said Link, his hand resting on the slingshot tucked in his belt, "I haven't even gotten a chance to use this thing yet, seems only fitting that its first shot be right into that stupid face of his."

"Must you always be so stubborn? Just trust me on this, would you? Honestly, the nerve of some people…"

Link sighed and approached the opening, getting down to his knees and forearms and slipping into the tiny tunnel, Navi flying through after him. Shuffling through the murk he saw the passage slowly open up into a slightly brighter area ahead, and as he felt the walls shrink away he got to his feet.

The cave was small, but hardly claustrophobic; dark, but hardly frightening. A thin, singular beam of light shone down in the centre of the cavern, but it seemed to illuminate far beyond its reach. Upon a dais beneath the light lay a tiny shrine of ornate wood, carved in the shape of a small tree, smoothly gnarled and bent forward, cradling something within its many arm-like branches.

He stepped closer, squinting through the light as the shrine came into focus, the charge of the tree's arms becoming clear: a glinting sword lain against a wooden shield. He gasped, and broke into a run across the room, stopping just before the dais, "A sword, a real sword! I didn't think you actually meant to get an actual _sword_ to stick it to Mido!"

"Well I guess you ought to listen a little more to me next time," replied Navi smugly.

Link was still looking upon the blade with confounded disbelief, "How long has it been here?"

"As long as the village has."

"And nobody ever noticed?"

"Why would they? All of you Kokiri, always so caught up in your lives and your duties, why would a tiny hole in some far-off corner of the village catch any of your eyes?"

Link was positively captivated by the marvellous blade, "In the forest of all places! What's it even doing here?"

"Back in the time of… well, let's just say there were less peaceful times in the forest, and to protect themselves the Kokiri entrusted their safety into things like this little treasure," said Navi darkly, "But as the violence of the world went to rest, all the weapons were taken away from the forest. Except one, one that the Great Deku Tree kept for when… well, just for when it was time for it to be used again."

"Can I…?"

"Go on, take it and give it a go!"

Hesitantly he reached for the stocky wooden handle, grabbing it with loose hands, its unfamiliarity and deadly potential sending shivers through him. The shield followed soon after, its solid wooden body seeming as if it had been carved from some immense oak capable of holding up the sky. A symbol was whittled into it, a circular swirl ending in a bulb at the centre, painted over in bright red.

"It's a Deku Shield. There are some of these still around the forest, they were made by the Kokiri. Of course there's not too much use for these things nowadays, they're more ceremonial than anything else, and still fairly hard to come by," said Navi, "That little symbol is the mark of the forest, it's the old Kokiri insignia, back when they still dealt with the matters of the world beyond the trees."

He held the blade in his hand, weighted with a strangely profound sense of power unbefitting of its size, the guardianship of the forest swimming within its metal. "A Kokiri Sword," proclaimed Navi, fluttering to the sword, "It's been a long time since anybody's held this."

Link tested his hand at the sword, cutting loosely at the air in front of him, "Wow, it's heavy." He tightened his grip around the smoothly carved wooden hilt, his fingers slipping over the large red bead embedded at the guard. He took a firmer stab at the air, and then slashed at it again with force, hearing it cut through the air with a low whistle that was somehow beautiful to his ears.

"It goes well with you," Navi quipped, "I'm sure the Great Deku Tree won't mind if we borrow this, just for a bit."

"A sword… I never thought I'd see one of these. It's so… dangerous. It's almost scary, just think about what this thing could do," whispered Link, fixated.

"Well that's why it was put here, wasn't it? But I think it's about time this old thing got another run, even if just to put that Mido in his place."

A sly smile crept onto Link's face, "Just wait 'til you see his face when we get back to him, he'll never mess with me again."

With that he returned the sword to its scabbard and affixed it across his back, its firm weight resting against him. He then pulled the shield over it and stood, contemplating his new look. _Link: Warrior of the Forest_, he thought, _doesn't have too bad of a ring to it! I could get used to this._

"Well, hurry up then! There's no time to just stand there and admire yourself, we've stillgot to get back to the Deku Tree."

Link shook himself and made way for the tunnel, "Let's go, I think we've kept him waiting for just about long enough."

Crawling his way out of the cavern, he made his way back through the village. As he passed by the idling Kokiri returning from their morning duties, he found that he was drawing even more glances than usual, the air buzzing with whispers and hushed, shocked speculation; fingers covertly pointing, first at Navi, and then at the sword and shield mounted upon Link's back.

"Is that _Link_? With a _fairy_?"

"No way, he was never gonna get one!"

"I can't believe they were telling the truth, Fala never tells the truth!"

"What's that? No-Fairy got himself a fairy?"

"Shh, Dore! Don't call him that!"

"Well it's not like any of you can call him that anymore, is it?"

"Congratulations Link! You finally got a fairy!"

"What is _that_ on his back?"

He simply walked on through the mutterings and the gossip, waving at the odd well-wisher and smirking at the awe inspired by his new equipment, perhaps this was what respect from all his fellow Kokiri was meant to feel like. He took it in and began moving with a peculiar swagger. "Really, must they point like that?" nagged Navi, "The fact that you Kokiri haven't been taught all your proper manners is just unacceptable. And stop strutting around like that, you look ridiculous."

He reached Mido and his cronies, guffawing and whispering all the while as they saw him approach, "Well, whatcha' think you're up to, eh? I thought I already told you that you weren't getting past me! Dan-ger-ous," he mocked, "You got that? Or are you just too thick to understand?"

Silently, Link drew the blade and shield from his back and pointed the sword directly at Mido, smiling just as he had last time, now with the air of a definite victor. "Dangerous?" He watched as Mido's face turned slowly from smug satisfaction to recognition to ghastly shock and basked in the moment, for once it was he who held the grin and Mido the scowl, "I think I get it."

"Is that - ? How did you - ? A Kokiri Sword? Good grief! There is no way that belongs to you, give me that!" Mido lunged forward, hands outstretched.

"Watch it there!" said Link, backing away and brandishing the blade, "Wouldn't want to get cut now, would we?" He couldn't be grinning harder if he tried.

"That can't be yours! There aren't even supposed to be any of those left in the forest; and besides, it's the _Kokiri_ Sword, it doesn't belong in your filthy hands!" blurted Mido, his teeth clenching.

"I _am_ a Kokiri, Mido, fairy and all, and I don't care what you say, because it's _not _going to change that. Now let me and Navi through."

One of Mido's cronies began to speak up, "Boss, what do we do now? You didn't say what to do if he kept up like -"

"Shut up, you idiot!" snapped Mido, "This isn't right, this can't be right." He began to shake, and spoke up "Yeah – well you – you can't –"

"Move!" yelled Navi.

"I – You – Argh! Fine! Go ahead and have your stupid meeting, see if I care! I don't need a damn sword or the Great Deku Tree to prove _I'm_ a Kokiri!" With that, Mido stormed past Link, and as he left the passageway only Navi heard him say in a minute, trembling mutter: "…Saria _and_ the Great Deku Tree, honestly…"

Navi gave a quizzical glance in Mido's direction before she was brushed past by his two lackeys, confusedly loping after their leader. Link watched Mido's shrinking figure with the sense of victory for the first time, immensely satisfied. "Well, well, standing up to big, bad Mido. Look who's a big shot now?" said Navi as she nudged Link's head slightly, "The Deku Tree just might've gotten the right kid."

"Hm? The right kid for what?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Let's get moving, just a little bit further to go now!"

The path darted this way and that, smooth walls hewn out of the rock snaking about as the sunlight winked off them. Link had walked this path time and time before, but it was alien now, the smooth grass of old was so overgrown, and moss covered the passageway in a shimmering, green coat where the patchy light did not reach through the thick canopy, giving the path a slightly wet feel.

As he approached the path's end he felt the grass beneath his feet becoming coarser and taller, brushing roughly against his shins and creeping into his boots. The dirt also began to make faint scratching and scraping noises against his sole. Odd, the grind and scratch of coarse soil was something he'd not ever felt in the grass in any other part of the village.

The passage opened up and led onto wide, gentle hill sided by small, stony ridges, a familiar sight to Link despite the time gone by. Navi took off ahead and raced upward, "Great Deku Tree! Great Deku Tree! I'm back; I brought him here as you asked!"

And as Link craned his head he saw the Great Deku Tree, massive and majestic as ever, his being nearly completely dominating Link's vision. He felt as if the Tree occupied the entire glade, its roots stretching, daring to overcome the walls and spread across the forest; as if the massive branches caught the wind as they swayed, swirling the air around the glade in a calming zephyr. In this glade, the Great Deku Tree ruled the senses.

Link stepped forward, approaching slowly; he was always awed by the company of such a great being, so much larger than any other tree in the Forest. He looked up at the trunk of the Tree, where if one looked close enough they could just about make out a wizened visage in the gnarls and swirls of the bark. Link swore that the Deku Tree had to be the height of at least three Forest Pines, and wider still. The roots alone were at least a dozen feet tall and big enough so that only a few of them were needed to support every Kokiri in the Forest when it came time to gather and listen to its stories.

But there was something odd about the Deku Tree, its bark seemed rougher and its texture a little off from its usual brown, its leaves were looking limp and dry; and its 'face' almost seemed to bear a look of concern. Stopping himself from staring, he quickly bowed down awkwardly, trying to convey his respect through silence.

Staring hard at the patch of grass framing his feet, he felt Navi nudge his head, "What are you waiting for? Greet him!"

"Um, er, Great – ahem - Great Deku Tree, I'm deeply honoured to–" he stammered.

"**Thou dost not require formalities around me, my child,**"spoke the Great Deku Tree, "**Nor is thou unworthy of looking upon me whilst we talk,**"he added benevolently. The voice came from somewhere in the centre of the glade, though where exactly Link couldn't place. It seemed to resonate from within the wood of the Great Deku Tree, or perhaps it was the air around it. There was no movement save for the rustling of the leaves in the Tree's high branches.

He quickly looked up and attempted another sentence, "I – I'm sorry, Great Deku Tree, apologies for my rudeness."

"**Thou need not apologise, although considering thy offer of apology I shall accept it nonetheless, as would be polite.**"Link was rather disarmed by just how casual the Tree was, having never spoken to it alone.

After another moment of silence Navi whispered, "Feel free to talk any day now."

Link took a breath before he opened his mouth again, "Great Deku Tree, thank you for summoning me here," he said, "And a thank you so much for giving me Navi as a companion! It means so much for me to finally have a fairy of my own after so long."

"'**Twas an act long overdue, in fact, it should be I who offers apologies of mine own in the delay of Navi's bestowment upon thee.**"

Rather unsure as to whether he was meant to forgive the Great Deku Tree at this point, Link simply gave a non-committal nod.

"**But now I am sure thou hast many questions in store, am I not correct?**"

"Y-Yes, Great Deku Tree," Link pondered for a moment as to whether it would be the best time to ask what was on his mind, "I was just wondering," he went ahead, "Why has it been so long since you told any of us a story? I-I mean, not that you have to, it's just that we really enjoy it when you tell them to us and we've just been waiting and…"

"**Indeed thou hast been biding much time since the moons whence I had told thee such tales; perhaps in due course of our meeting I shall regale thee once more with a story. Alas, our current attention is required on matters far less pleasant.**"

Abruptly, in his next words the voice of the Great Deku Tree became graver, one more apt for his presence, displacing the air within the glade and resounding from the rocky walls, "**I regret that I could not have brought thee here under reasons more peaceable. Alas, I fear that thy calling is due to the malevolent workings set in motion by a force thou must now face.**"

"Me?" asked Link, puzzled.

"**Aye, child, but before I go on I must ask thee; hast thou been chased in thy sleep by visions? By nightmares?" **

"Yes, Great Deku Tree, they're - they're frightening. And – wait, I haven't told anybody – how do you – "

"**Indeed I have seen that thou hast not often been waking before the sun has risen to its highest perch. Tell me, what dost thou see in these fearful visions?**"

"Just… strange things. Always the same place, always the same ending," he answered slowly, "I don't understand, and I haven't even seen any of it before. There's a girl, there's always a girl, and she's always calling my name, but I can't tell who she is. How can I? I've never even met her before! But every time, she looks so... desperate. I always want to help her but I never can, and I never know what she wants. And just before I wake up there's…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"**When the darkness approaches, the climate is often pervaded by a malice that dost manifest itself in the minds of those sensitive to it, such as thyself. Such are the times now as the evil you must stand against gathers in strength.**"

"Evil? Me?" Link's head jumped forward, "Excuse me, Great Deku Tree? I – no, I mustn't have heard you right," he spluttered.

"**An evil that has found it within necessity to place a curse upon my being to achieve its own foul ends, one that I am afraid I cannot vanquish. Verily, it is thou that I must turn to rid myself of this accursed plague.**"

"I'm…I'm sorry? A plague? No that's - You mustn't have meant for me, you must've asked for the wrong Kokiri!

"**Nay, I have asked for the exact child that this forest needs,**"assured the Great Deku Tree as Link continued to stand in stunned silence. "**I instruct thee thus: The curse has ingrained itself deeply within my core, and I task that thou find its wretched source and crush it.**"

"Within? Great Deku Tree how am I supposed to-"

A huge crack whipped the air. Slowly the gargantuan creak of immense and ancient wood filled the air, a undercurrent of bark snapping crackling beneath it. Link stepped back, almost tripping over himself, utterly aback at the sudden dissonance swirling through the glade. "Great Deku Tree! Are you alright?" he yelled whilst he covered his ears, quite worried that the Deku Tree was about to splinter apart.

But then he saw it: just at the base of the Deku Tree, nestled in a nook between two mammoth roots, the Tree's flesh was parting, knots becoming undone and crackling splinters of bark flying every which way, like some massive wooden curtain being drawn. He watched in awe as he witnessed the Deku Tree rend itself, wondering just how much pain the tear must've been causing it. Wait, could the Tree even feel any pain at all? He glanced to Navi as she fluttered anxiously beside his head, no doubt looking on with the same worrisome eyes.

And in an instant the creaking ceased, the Tree's work lay clear to see; the trunk's base had opened up, and within the nook there was a large sliver of darkness that led to the depths within the Deku Tree, a crack of night in the light of day. Link gulped with a strong inkling as to just what the Tree expected of him, but clung to the faintest hope that he could be wrong. "Great Deku Tree, am I… am I supposed to…?"

"**Indeed, Link, lest our forest be discarded to the winds of the wicked.**"

"Link, the forest needs you," said Navi. But still he remained rooted to the spot, not unlike the tree that stood in the glade's centre. "The Great Deku Tree wouldn't put you into any danger that you couldn't make it through, you know that!"

The word 'evil' was still ringing in his mind, "But… now? I can't just wait, or even prepare?" Link entreated. He had the sudden urge to go talk to Saria at this point; and, to be honest, he was more than happy to leave the forest in somebody else's hands.

"**Nay, Link, our time escapes us.**"

The whole glade closed in on him, pressing him from all sides. "Well, Link?" chimed Navi.

There was a moment of thick silence before Link, with all his will, planted his foot forward. He felt as if he were stamping through some viscous bog of fear, but still his heart filled with a lukewarm resolve. "I'll do it," he said, forcing as much of that resolve into his voice as he could.

"**Then enter, brave child, and Navi too, I trust that my fate doth lie in the most capable of grasps.**"

Navi nodded before perching herself on Link's hat, hushed and still. Link gulped once more and wrenched his foot from the grass. One step, two steps, three steps. He kept his eyes on that fissure in thetrunk, that ever-widening darkness drawing him in. As he stepped on the threshold between day and dark, he didn't abate his stride; "_Just one step at a time_" he thought, as the blackness engulfed him.


	5. Chapter Five: Within the Great Deku Tree

**Chapter Five:  
Within the Great Deku Tree**

The blue flicker of Navi was all he had to light the way through the Deku Tree's trunk, her bobbing body casting vision on the thick gnarls that sided him. He wasn't sure about how wide the Great Deku Tree was, and where exactly he was supposed to go, all he knew was that he had to keep walking, concentrating on his feet against the soil beneath him.

In the back of Link's mind a question occurred to him: who would curse the Deku Tree? What purpose would it serve? What use was there in poisoning the forests? Looking into the black ahead of him and seeing those walls, seeming endlessly thick, he shuddered at the thought at just how anybody or anything could possibly have brought conceivable harm upon the Great Deku Tree. And considering the Tree's wisdom and fortitude, strong enough to rule over the Forests for countless years, just how powerful must they have been to do it?

The fissure gradually grew as they walked along, giving Navi more space to hover about ahead of Link, moving forwards from wall to wall, stopping every now and then as if checking something. "Link, take a look at this," she said suddenly, beckoning toward a section of the wall. As he caught up to her he peered closer to her glow, an inch from the bark that lined the way.

"What on earth…" he murmured, and ran his hand over the wall, feeling not the smooth knotted bark he was expecting, but a rough bunch of grooves that poked and cut at his fingertips. Slowly he advanced alongside Navi, his hand still running lightly along the bark, "What happened here? Is this because of the Deku Tree opening the way up for us?"

"No, it doesn't look like that at all; this is definitely the work of something else."

It was getting worse as they went on, looking as if bowl-sized scoops and wide lacerations had been torn into the wood. Navi fretted about more and more, and Link felt dread creep into him, the prospect of turning back to the safety of daylight becoming ever more tempting.

Navi dashed ahead to see just how far the strange markings went, but before long Link saw the light of her body halt and her little voice speak, "Oh no…" Link ran up to where she hovered and looked upon the sight before him

It was positively cavernous, a gigantic chamber hollowed out from the core of the Great Deku Tree, looming up to what must've been halfway up his trunk. The great expanse was lit up dimly by what seemed to be minute cracks in the walls, tiny crevices that had to run a considerable distance to allow light to penetrate this far into the tree. But there was something else here too, an odd murky light that pervaded the cavity, congealing in the humid air and mixing in with the smell of decaying wood.

"There's can't be anything I've ever heard of in the Forest that could have possibly done this to him," said Navi in awe. It was grotesque in a way, the appearance of this strange place they were in. But the already odd sensation of being within a living thing was overshadowed by the horrible state of its insides. The walls were scarred and shredded all over, vast chunks obviously had been ripped out piece by piece to hollow out the Tree's core; Link grimaced and felt a little twinge in his stomach.

He looked closer at the walls, his eyes adjusting to the gloom, and noticed they also seemed to be covered in a swathe of white patches, blotted with what looked like sheets upon sheets of immense web. "What was here, a family of spiders?" he asked faintly.

"Not any kind of spider I've heard of. Gosh, I knew there was something wrong with the Great Deku Tree, but this is just disgusting…"

"It's been sick for a while, you mean?"

"Well it wasn't like it seemed ill, but it was awful concerned about something; always concentrating on things but never revealing exactly what to any of us, saying we ought to wait until the time came, then we'd know everything. Then this morning it just began looking dreadful and asked me to come get you."

"So that's why there haven't been any stories for so long. I wouldn't have blamed it if I'd known it was fighting something that could just rip him up from the inside," said Link.

"We've got to do something about this; I can hardly bear to look at it."

Link shuddered as he imagined giant claws tearing away, carving at him as they had at the Deku Tree. _No_, he thought, _I can't fail the Great Deku Tree, I can't let it or the forest down_, forcing his feet onward.

The path from the entrance dipped down into the circular 'room'; dark, dry soil served as a coarse, uneven floor, mingling with the shadows. They found nothing as they searched from side to side, examining the walls to find any clues about the exact source of the carnage. The scratches and marks stopped; there was nothing but those huge chunks taken out of the wood all over the place. "Look at these things; they look like bite marks. I'd say that whatever this thing is, it's been making a good meal out of the Great Deku Tree. It must've been growing at an incredible rate with this much to nourish itself," said a still-shocked Navi.

They ventured further inward. Link found cautious footing on the dipping slopes, the soil sliding and giving way under his boots as he tried to make each shaky step. The moment they made their way down the little hill that edged the area they laid their eyes upon a concerning sight in the centre of the room.

There was dirt floor no more, although, thanks to the lack of light, one couldn't tell from afar. Instead there was a pit burrowing deep into the ground at least thirty feet wide, layer upon layer of tangled web veiling and obscuring the drop below, shedding vision only on select pockets of shadow in the depths of the earth. "I think I have a pretty good idea about where it went…" said Navi, peering into it.

Link tested his foot on the edge of the drop, feeling the loose soil around it, watching it become a flaky brown powder speckling the strands of web. "Maybe we should, er, take a look around here first before we make any decisions about where we go next. Or what holes we jump into." He took tentative steps around the pit, approaching the opposite end of the Tree's trunk, constantly watching the hole out of the corner of his eye, half-expecting a sway or quiver in the web to precede some horrible thing leaping out at him.

His feet crunched softly on dirt and bark beneath him, the solitary crackle in time with his every movement unnerving him in a steady _crunch, crunch, crunch_. The gloom strained his eyes. He stopped to rub them for a moment when he noticed something at the side of the chamber, pinkish and minutely moving. He inched close enough to get a clear look at it.

It was a cluster of round, pink objects hanging up against the wall of the Tree, looking like a strange batch of veined, large grapes pinned up to the side of the trunk. "Navi, what's that?"

"I'm certain of this much: it shouldn't be here."

_Snap!_

"Link, watch out!"

One of the objects came plunging down in front of them, rolling around a little before it came to a stop.

It pulsed slowly, dull and soft in the light that the Tree let in; an elliptical ball of pink with dark patches of purple spotting it, faint red lines of veins jolting through its surface. It was beating with an irregular rhythm, as if something inside it was slowly prodding and poking at its skin. "It's an egg… a really gross looking egg…" said Link.

"Well obviously, but what could be inside of – "

With the sound of a small pop, a little black stub emerged from the side of the egg, wriggling its way through the surface. Link simply looked on in surprise, rather curious to find out what was hiding beneath the egg's skin.

The little spot of black had become what looked like a rather ugly, albeit fully formed scaly foot, "Do you think it's a bird?" asked Link.

Then with an unsavory, wet ripping sound the foot tore its way through the whole sac and the egg split open; milky liquid spilling thickly from its broken casing. And beneath the mucous layers of slime there came a small, two-legged animal stumbling about woozily and swaying precariously on untested feet, bearings evidently not quite there just yet.

It was a strange thing, tall enough to just about reach Link's chest on its two sharply bent legs. But dominating its façade was one large, swollen, round eye protruding grossly with a pale cyan hue, glazed and unfocused; a little, serrated mouth dripping below it. Its body was miniscule in comparison, covered in a rough, hairy hide still dripping with milky fluid, crowned by a blunt twist of turquoise bone. If anything it looked rather like an overgrown and particularly bizarre insect.

"That's _definitely _not a bird," said Navi.

He'd never dealt with a thing quite like it in all his years, perhaps it was harmless, but its shocking appearance, blasted over by that bulging eye, made him feel anxious all the same. "What the heck is that thing?"

It snapped to look at him. It could hear, and it wasn't at all happy.

A shrill rattling pierced his ears, and in a flash the creature's eye flushed a violent red; it leapt forward, the horn on its head spurring forth to gore him. He rolled clumsily sideways, seeing it leap over his legs and turn to face him again as he floundered to his feet.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's awful nice!" yelled Navi, now zooming about frantically above Link.

His feet slipping every which way, he brought himself about-face and bolted away from the thing, his head down, praying that it would forget about him if he just got far enough away. All the while his balance eluded him, steps staggering as he tried his hardest to keep moving whilst regaining his composure. He ran as far as he could, but that shriek sounded again and the sound of footfalls came up behind him. How could it run so fast with such small legs?

He felt a sharp pain in his lower back and stumbled forward, eyes wrenched shut in pain and the tips of his boots dragging along through the earth. "No, stop!" screamed Navi's voice from somewhere beside him. He dug in his heels to try and regain balance but felt the firmness beneath him give way. Soil slipped around his feet and his shoulder was first to hit the ground, the rest of his body coming tumbling after, side over side, down the hill. His hands flapped about trying to grip anything around him but they came up with nothing but clumps of soil.

And then there was nothing beneath him.

Heady weightlessness overtook him and his body began to drop.

His tunic rippled against his skin and his hat barely remained fixed on his head as he spun, plummeting into the yawning pit, eyes now wide open as the seconds of the drop seemed to drag on. Then he felt something grab at him and he sagged down into what felt like a silky hammock, his hands still madly snatching at the air around him.

He caught his grip on something ropey and taut, and let his breath out, suddenly remembering the huge webs within the hole, oddly thankful for them.

But then came a small horn, poking over the edge of the pit's mouth above him. Shrieks accompanied the clicking of teeth as the creature's full body came into view, leaping down off the edge. It came down on his torso, its little mouth repulsively close to his face, teeth glistening and dripping with syrupy drool and miniature pincers tapping together in a sickly rhythm over a rambling gurgle.

Link flailed his arms out in front of him, grabbing the beast by its sides and trying to fend it off, those pincers threateningly close to his face. He felt the bristling hairs of its skin and the thick humour of its eye and turned his head away with a cry of disgust.

"Link! What are you doing? By Din, use the blasted sword you idiot!" hollered Navi.

"I – ah – yeah, of course!" he yelped, pulling his left hand to his back to unsheathe the Kokiri Sword, feeling it slice through strands of web as he struggled to bring it in front of himself, that horrible thing still writhing and gargling. His hand trembled as he tried to align a plan of attack in his head "I – how do I –"

"Just _kill _it!" screamed Navi.

He swung the blade blindly out and across, turning away and avoiding the sight of its first kill by his hand, instead feeling the sickening, momentary resistance of flesh against its edge before the arc completed on his right. The mad thrashing and pushing against his arm stopped, replaced by a slight quivering and a leaking, warm sensation. With a peek up his saw the work of his hand and blade before him: the jag of bone on the beast's head was now a stump exuding vile yellow-orange pus. That bulbous was eye dull again as its body tilted sideways and, with a last, rasping shriek, fell through a gap in the web into the dark beneath, landing with a splash somewhere far below.

His hand was still shaking and his breath still heavy as he speechlessly turned to Navi. But again there was no relief to be had as from above there was that wet, ripping sound again, this time seeming to come from all sides, a dissonance of hatching eggs. "Quick, we have to get down before they find out us!" spoke Navi, as the ground above became host to the patter of dozens of newborn feet.

He squirmed and kicked to loosen himself from the web, but it adhered stubbornly to his clothes and skin, fixing him in place. He thrashed about a little before stopping, bobbing up and down awkwardly in the web's grip. "Oh really now, again? The sword!" groaned Navi.

"Sorry," he replied, embarrassed. He readied the blade again and began swinging it every which way around him, cutting through multiple strands of voluminous web, his steadiness wavering as the threads he lay on grew fewer and fewer. His body began to sway uncontrollably as he continued to cut away.

As the steps above grew uncomfortably close, the remaining web snapped soundlessly beneath him. He began to tumble down into the void below, biting his tongue to stop himself from making any noise as the weightlessness returned. A ring of darkness framed in upon the spot of light above, enclosing him. He felt his hat flee from his head and twirl up into the air, floating in his vision above him, evading his frantic grabs.

His back stung as it broke the surface in a loud plunk and splash; water flew up all around him and drenched him in a cool wash. Righting himself with sword still in hand, he took a moment to look around for his hat, eyes once again adjusting to the even heavier darkness that swallowed him. Putting the Kokiri Sword back in its scabbard, he turned on the spot, treading water amongst wavy clumps and strands of sodden web floating on the surface. He found his hat floating a few feet away and swam over to take it back before going on to seek dry land.

Navi came down gradually, taking her time as she descended in a spiral, muttering to herself. Link made it to a muddy bank nearby and hefted himself to his feet, feeling distinctly heavier. After shaking his head rapidly to dry out his hair, he wrung out his hat and clothes as hard as he could. As he emptied his boots Navi came close and spoke up, "Honestly, you have a sword, it's not like there's a rule against using it, especially if some little beast is trying to bite your nose off!"

A little pink, Link looked away from Navi and to the boot he was still vigorously shaking the last drops of water from. He tried to turn the subject away from his swordsmanship, "Are you sure you don't know what that thing was?"

Navi grumbled but went on to answer, "Well now that I think about it, I might've heard about something like that before; one great, big, awful eye; that really reminds me of something… but I can't say exactly what."

"That one was enough of a pain, imagine what would've happened if those others had found us."

"But you understand what those eggs mean, right? They must've come from somewhere, and considering how handy you are with that sword I'd say it won't be such a pleasant time coming up against whatever laid them."

"Just get off it, okay? I haven't used one before!" objected Link weakly.

Navi merely bobbed in a sort of shrug. Trying to set his mind straight, Link took in surroundings. They were in a small hollow of dirt and rock, the reservoir he'd just fallen into taking up a large proportion of the space. The embankment upon which he stood tapered darkness beyond which he could not see. Once again he felt and saw it; the source of light wasn't solely that which leaked in from the hole above, but also from that same abnormal, hazy glow emerging from the air itself.

"We must be fairly deep now," said Navi stiffly, containing her exasperation, "We can't be too far from the Great Deku Tree's roots."

"The roots? So if whatever it is that's eating the Great Deku Tree came down here, it couldn't find much else to eat further on, which means…"

"We can't be that far behind it."

He tensed.

"Let's go," Navi said, "We have to finish off what we came in here to do."


	6. Chapter Six: The Claws of Queen Gohma

**Chapter Six:  
The Claws of Queen Gohma**

The dark corner of the chamber narrowed into a tunnel, just about as wide as the pit which he'd fallen in through, or perhaps a little bigger. At the mouth of the path, he searched it with his eyes, but the darkness only smothered the way as the tunnel led off into the unknown. He shivered at the sight of the trail of the Tree's devourer as it dared him to follow it into the heart of the Tree. "I hope there's nothing too bad at the end of _this_ one," said Navi.

He entered. As he passed through he watched the stretch of earthy walls go by him, that same bulky web coating and covering them all over to the point where the tunnel was utterly plastered in silken strand.

It was unsettling; as if he were some tiny insect being wrapped around, entrapped in a mammoth cocoon. The image came to him; of limbs bound and screams muffled as he lay awaiting the return of the web's spinner.

He winced. He wished to tell Navi, anyone, of his fear, and yet the words would not escape him for his embarrassment; he was content enough to not have the fairy deride him again anytime soon. Meanwhile, Navi herself was rather subdued, fluttering at his pace, not saying a word, probably wondering why she had to get stuck with him, he thought, or why the Forest had to rely on some coward who couldn't even hold up a sword. All he could do was watch the ground, looking out for those puddles of sickly pale web that grasped at his boots.

So intent was he upon the floor that it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer within the tunnel, Navi tapping him on the shoulder silently and beckoning for him to look at what lay ahead.

It was vast but as far as he could tell it was flat. "That's a relief," he said, "At least it looks like I won't have to fall down anymore holes for the day". Titanic roots bore down through the earthy ceiling, serpentine tendrils shooting back into the ground of this dark little pocket in the earth.

But they were in a sorry state.

The roots stood mutilated and torn to shreds, greyed and rotting, coated in dry sap which glistened.

Glistened.

They shouldn't have been glistening. They'd travelled deep; the light from above was long gone, by all rights it ought to have been pitch black. And yet there it was, that same faint glow seeming to emanate from the floors and walls of this cave, more pervasive than ever, drumming against his eyes.

He walked, feet tapping against the rock beneath him, though he couldn't see it through a layer of mist that covered the ground, almost tangible in the cave's disconcerting glow. The walls were coated in still more web, and upsettingly enough, pulsing pink eggs which clustered themselves against the roots too, little one-eyed terrors gestating within. He was fixed on the sight of the roots hanging down about him, so massive yet so spoilt, attacked and abused as nests for a fetid brood; he felt his skin go clammy. "Navi," he whispered, but he couldn't continue.

"His roots, dear Goddesses his roots, look at what's been done to him! It's like somebody came in here and tore out his heart. By Nayru, I can't bear see this…" Navi moaned. Link took a step and heard something rustle; he shook his boot, trying to dislodge whatever he must've stepped in. "We have to fix it," said Navi firmly.

"But," said Link, fighting a closing throat, "What can we do? We can't just 'fix' it! And I don't think there are any more tunnels here…maybe we should just go back out and ask some of the Kokiri if they know any way to…?" He stopped walking in the middle of the room, as if to try and sell his suggestion

"You're willing to go and shove a sword and fist in Mido's face and act as if you're some big shot, but the moment you're actually asked to do something you're begging to leave, really if you're supposed to be the one that Hyrule depe-"

At that moment there was another rustle, louder and more grating.

But Link was standing stock still.

"Did you… did you hear that?" said Link, on the verge of squeaking.

Then it came again in a constant humdrum, rustling and shuffling of what sounded like many parts against dirt and stone, a heavy noise in the shroud of shadow, the only companion to his shallow breathing. "Link, be careful, we're not alone…" Navi's tone hushed down to a shaky concern.

He felt his instincts pulling him to the exit, his feet slowly backtracking through the mist, his clacking footsteps in time with that ever growing shuffling. The cavern began to echo with a low rattling that crept through his ears and clawed at his mind.

Still stepping back, he rapidly looked left and right, blind to the sounds' source. In the dim light there moved nothing save for those pounding eggs. "C-can you see where it is?" he quavered. He swore he could see something in the shadows, a flicker from behind a root; the phantom traces of a lurking menace.

The sounds of scuttling drove to a fever pitch, and the ghastly rattling breathed down his neck, closing the walls of the grotto in on him. He turned about and prepared to pelt for the cover of the tunnel when Navi began leaping up and down, her alarm manifesting in a high pitched ringing, "Link! Up!"

Link's head shot upwards, and there it was: the pupil of a monstrous eye that hung down from the ceiling, bloated and deeply cyan as those of the miniscule creatures from the eggs, but almost as wide as he stood tall.

For a second there was nothing but that perverse eye, watching him from the ceiling, horrifyingly unblinking, petrifying in its gaze. It sickeningly swivelled a full revolution in its socket.

The second broke and a wailing screech rang through his head, and with the sound of brittle unfurling a horrible carapace expanded into view around the eye as it came crashing to ground.

He screamed.

He screamed a cry of unadulterated terror at the misshapen monster as its eye turned to a bloody red and it reared the two immense chitinous talons at its flanks, standing on what looked like a singular, grossly sagging tail. It raised another screeching roar to the ceiling as it stomped down, resembling a terribly mutated insect, the hellishly engorged mother to the beasts within the eggs.

"Gohma!" cried Navi, "Queen Gohma! It's her, I should've known!"

"Gohma?"

"Get out of the way!"

He tore himself from the spot and dove left as Gohma heaved a curved razor at him. He splayed out to his feet and turned to face the fiend, panic coursing through his veins. It stomped forward deliberately, sickly eye fixated and filled with a murderous curiosity at this odd intruder that dared to enter Queen Gohma's lair.

Link pulled his hand behind his back, grasping at thin air before his fingers found the hilt of the Kokiri Sword. With blade in trembling hand he felt the barest empowerment against the hulking parasite as it raised another talon.

He stumbled right and swung out at the heavyset appendage.

_CLANG_.

His arm pulsed with the recoil of steel smashed against what felt like solid rock. He staggered back, nursing his wrist. A thick blow slammed his torso, sending him flying into a root.

"Link!"

His head smacked back into the wood. Dazed and steadied only by his sword, he battled to keep his grip and let everything return to focus. In the blur of impact he saw the murky bulk of Gohma shifting toward him.

"Oh Link, please, get up, please…"

He was barely on his feet when the brunt of a talon thumped again on his chest, pushing him down into the dirt. That eye; that damned eye looked down in twisted amusement.

What a strange little thing this boy was; the hatchlings would feast well tonight.

The talon dug deeper. His legs kicked in vain. His arms tried to cast off a weight beyond their strength. His lungs fought to squeeze breath into him but the claw was unrelenting. He hacked and coughed as his eyes watered and his head spiralled, numbness tingling through him.

But still he felt the cold wood of the Kokiri Sword; and with naught but survival on his mind he brought the blade up and plunged it in the gap between carapace and claws.

There was brief release; he gasped mouthful of welcome air and the world swam back into sight. He pushed himself free of Gohma's weight, but the stab had done little to phase her; her eye still seemed filled with that glee; this feisty victim was proving to be a spot of fun.

She spilt forth and extended her shapeless tail like a bloated whip, jabbing and swinging at him. He sidestepped and grabbed her talon, swinging himself around and desperately searching for another opening.

She wasn't pleased. She shook violently and his balance left him. Close to being thrown off, he blindly thrust out the blade.

_CLANG_.

Recoil surged through him again and his grip gave way.

His shoulder took the hit this time as he tumbled hard into the rock. Fighting to his feet he raised the sword once more; a new, cool head upon his shoulders, adrenaline pumping through body and mind. Nothing existed beyond the beastly frame of Queen Gohma, and nothing here was with him bar his blade. "Link!" came a distant yell, "Go for the eye! The eye!"

Navi's radiance fizzled back into his peripheral vision. He recognised the sound of his own panting and the slick of his own sweat but he pushed them away, willing the thrill that shook him to carry him forth. Gohma let out a repugnant rattle and stomped closer.

_THUD. THUD. THUD._

"Come on…" he told himself

_THUD. THUD. THUD_.

"Just go for it and show that bug who's boss…"

_THUD. THUD. THUD._

The claws rose…

"Now!"

He hopped back, and the twin talons swung by his face, crashing to the earth. He felt the moment and bounded ahead, forcing the sword forward in both his hands, all his energy journeying out through his arms and into the metal.

It hit its mark.

The eye bled and Gohma stood dazed. With a screech she tore herself from the sword and bellowed in pain. The amusement vanished from her eye and in its place were fury and the mad volition to rip the meat in green clothing to pieces. She reared up to full height, claws flinging into the air and curling down at him; roars blasting the cave in a wave of rage.

He obeyed instinct and ran from the seething monstrosity, hearing the mass of talons smash the rock where he'd stood just a second ago. Over the sounds of Gohma's weighty clops Navi cried "Don't go for the exit, she'll crush you if you get stuck in the tunnel!"

No use in running. He had to face her again. He took his chances and turned to see her crimson glare charging forth. With one hasty draw of his sword he bounded ahead and swung it out.

Too slow.

A dark blur flew into his left arm and smacked him and the sword away. He pitched hard into the rock beneath, hips and face bashing upon stone.

Gohma's raspy breath came closer still. He pushed himself up and glanced about for his sword in the mist. "I can't find it!"

"Here!"

Clumsily he sprinted to Navi, tipping forward with arms outstretched. Right within grabbing distance he felt Gohma swipe again, pulverising the earth a foot behind him. There was a teetering second of uncertainty before he was falling face first to the ground.

He stuck his hand out, groping the air desperately, finding that friendly, carved hilt just within reach. He grasped it and –

"Around! Quick!"

He flipped to find Gohma's eye boring into him from behind the malformed cavity of her mouth which sucked and threshed at the very prospect of his flesh. Her claws pressed upon his torso and pinned him to the earth, not crushing him; not this time, not yet. He felt the warmth and smelt the stench of her breath, eyes stinging.

She descended, intent on devouring his face first, gouging out his eyes with the yellowed thorns of her teeth, muffling his screams as she tore the insolent boy's flesh from his skull.

As the vile gape came down he felt a twitch run through his arm again.

_The mouth_.

Acting only upon the lightning speeding through him he drove the sword into her maw, teeth scraping and gnashing at his forearm. He winced but he could hardly feel anything over his own heartbeat, and he madly stabbed and slashed at the wet flesh; thick saliva and blood mingling on his skin.

With a gagging lurch he felt the claws retract sharply. Freeing his arm from her maw he sprung up to full height and saw Gohma aback, retching and spitting thick, bloody mucus. No hesitation. He stepped ahead and with an awkward uppercut motion he sliced at her eye.

Her head was thrown up in a beastly shriek, her eye horribly gashed and bleeding, but that pupil still whole and piercing in its gaze. It looked back down at him in contempt, and with that she was scuttling off back towards the walls.

"Where does she think she's going off to? We're not done with her yet!" said Navi.

Gohma was scaling the chamber, claws digging into the earth and defying gravity. She shuffled sideways up the walls before she was hanging from the ceiling like a huge misshapen spider, the bristle of her limbs echoing through the air.

"She's trying to escape! I can't get her from down here!" lamented Link.

"She can't get away; we have to finish her off!"

She was right above him. There he stood; powerless as she hung ten feet away entrenched in the ceiling. Her eye stared down at him as it had when he first saw it, glaring redder than ever. The tail that hung beneath her was hooked, curling, twitching. It bulged at its base, the muscle tightening and tightening.

"Oh no, Link, I think I know what she's doing…"

She unfurled her tail in an instant. Something burst out of its tip with a disgusting squelch and landing with force at Link's feet; pink, bloated, spherical and pulsing. An egg.

"Gah! She's laying more!" he yelled, immediately slicing at it to pre-empt the creature's birth. More and more eggs began to shoot down every which way, and again he tried to put each of them down with the mad swing of his sword.

"Link, over there, they're hatching!" said Navi as that unmistakable sound began to fill their ears, little black limbs clawing their way out of the pink sacs. He darted as quickly as he could, to and fro, egg to egg, ungainly strike after ungainly strike putting down the hatchlings before they could escape. He could hardly think, he was just wildly hacking at whatever pink flashed before his eyes.

His arm was straining and his wrist was cramping, and even as he slashed through the last egg he found no relief: he was tiring and Gohma wasn't.

She took a moment to look down on him, standing there leaning on his sword and panting, so weak. She let off a rattle, almost a laugh, taunting him for the death his audacity had earned.

"She's not going to stop, if we don't do something soon we're going to be ripped to shreds!" cried Navi.

"I can't get her, it's no use!"

"Come on Link, think! There must be something we can get her with from down here!"

"There's nothing! What am I supposed to do, chuck my sword? There aren't even any rocks I could throw even if I –"

His hand twitched. He remembered what was hidden in his back pocket, that branch carved just last night, that gift he'd promised to Mido.

He grabbed for the slingshot, fumbling and trembling through the refuse of his pocket as he snatched for the little crook of wood. His other hand dove for the satchel at his hip, pulling away the drawstring and seizing at whatever seeds were still in it.

Two. Just two shots.

"Your slingshot! Dear Goddesses, why didn't I think of that?"

He slipped in the seed and drew back the band, aim trembling; that eye in his sights. She clenched it shut and down came another terrible payload; egg by egg, one by one, a count to his defeat. He couldn't help but tally each thud in his head, counting up to the army of newborns ready to devour him in their mother's name.

And amidst it all her eye snapped open and he hastily let go.

_TWING._

It ricocheted off her upper lid. "No…" he moaned as her eye closed again.

"Just keep going!" reassured Navi.

Blink.

Gohma squeezed her lids shut as she loosed yet another egg. He could almost hear the shrieking already.

"Hurry, Link!"

Blink.

But still he couldn't let go. He felt the cold of his face, blood draining from his cheeks and taking with it the oh-so-brief rush that had flowed through him. Again he felt frozen by the hand of fear.

"What are you waiting for?"

Blink.

He couldn't release it now.

Blink.

What if he missed?

"Just _do _it, Link, you can make it!"

No. He couldn't. He would miss and the forest would be doomed; doomed by the coward killed beneath the Deku Tree.

"No…"

"You _can_! The Great Deku Tree trusted you to save it, to save everybody in the whole village!"

Everybody. The village. It was brief but he felt it, the flick of the breeze, the sunlight's embrace, the water lacing his fingertips and the slightest blur of green hair and eyes.

He clenched his hand and again he saw Gohma, again he felt the slingshot and its band digging into his fingers and the drops of sweat pressing against his face.

His face was still cold and pale, but it didn't matter. Fear still stretched out its reach but he did not let it touch him. He knew why he was here.

Gohma stopped, her dozens of children awakening beneath her, hungry for the resigned piece of meat in the green clothes. Victory. She opened her eye one last time; in death he would see her full glory.

_THWIP._

Her eye was still wide open in shock as the seed hewed its way through. Her talons at last released their clasp on the ceiling and her tail went limp.

She fell in a tangle of carapace and claws; crushing her own litter of eggs with an unpleasant splash before the crash and clunk of her body on stone reverberated all around.

There she lay; a black heap of splayed tails and limbs; growling and rasping in furious delirium as she bit frantically at air, eye lolling madly in its socket. Link stepped forward slowly and drew the Kokiri Sword, and for a split second looked upon her vile form. He turned his head and plunged the sword into her eye with all his strength.

She roared and roared, hissing and gargling as she brought herself up to full height, lashing her tail and swaying erratically from side to side, her mutilated eye a thrashing fountain of fluid and blood.

Then finally she collapsed, her head thumped the earth one last time and a rasping death rattle dissipated through the air. She was still.

There was a moment of quiet as Link stood, nerves clenched and body unmoving.

He let go of the sword and fell to the ground, light-headed and worn out all over, he released a breath that seemed to have cooped itself in his chest for hours. The air was cool, but most noticeably it was no longer thick with the suffocating aura that had been so omnipresent through the Tree. The eggs hanging in the chamber around him were still, their pulsing gone with the life of Queen Gohma.

"**My child, thou hast done so well,"** boomed a proud, familiar voice,** "I shall bring thee to the surface, thou dost deserve a proper recognisation of thy deeds."**

Navi began bouncing about in glee, "She's gone! You broke the curse, Link, you did it!"

He looked up and gave a tired grin as the magic of the Great Deku Tree enveloped him, "I did it."


	7. Chapter Seven: Ends and Beginnings

**Chapter Sevem:  
Ends and Beginnings**

He felt it, even from his distant, dark chamber he knew it.

She was dead.

Queen Gohma had failed. The useless insect hardly seemed worth the trouble, and the Deku Tree was certainly not done for yet. By now the object which he so greatly desired had surely been passed on, hidden away by the Tree in a petty attempt to deny him that which he rightfully deserved. The wretched forest was out of his grasp. Armoured fists clenched and a destructive desire surged, but he let it subside; the time would come soon enough.

For now, nothing would change; the other two were still his to take, and the King of Hyrule was dancing in the palm of his hand. He needed only to turn his mind elsewhere, to the north, where the second one lay and where his wrath would be felt. He sneered; yes, there was still much under his control, and much he still had to do.

* * *

Link found himself sitting in the Great Deku Tree's glade once more, Navi and his sword beside him, the afternoon sun beaming down and the fresh forest air around him. He took a moment to bask in it all, he never thought that he'd ever appreciate it so much, but after his ordeals in the depths of the Deku Tree he felt like hardly anything could've been more soothing.

And then he remembered that he was still in the presence of the Great Deku Tree and immediately straightened up. Clumsily did he try to wipe away the blood and dirt smeared over his tunic, with extremely limited success. With a curt smack on the back of the head from Navi he quickly put his hands down and looked up to face the Tree.

"**Congratulations, young Link, there is nary a child of the forest that could've accomplished the feat that thou hast done so bravely. My trust has been fulfilled, and for that you must hold your head high." **Despite the lifting of the curse, his voice seemed wearier than it had before, and the lines of worry had not left the creases of the Tree's face. Surely it just needed some time to recover from the ravages of the curse.

"Thank you, Great Deku Tree," replied Link

"**It is I who should be thankful to you, Link. Rewards and celebrations would ordinarily be in order, but it saddens me to say that our time does not allow it. However, a story hath been promised, and perhaps now is a greater time than ever for me to impart it upon thee?"**

Link's face brightened even more, "A story? Yes, Great Deku Tree, please! Can I just go get – "

"**No, Link, I'm deeply sorry, there is no time; and I am afraid that this tale is one I mean only for thine ears." **Urged the Deku Tree,** "Now, wouldst thou listen to my words?"**

Disappointed but happy enough, Link stretched his legs out and leaned back on his arms, "Yes Great Deku Tree, of course," he said as Navi perched herself on his hat.

The Great Deku Tree took a moment of reprieve, seeming to compose itself before it began, **"Thank you, Link. However, I believe it best that first I tell thee of the origins of the curse thou hast so recently dispelled. Beyond the forests there lies the kingdom of Hyrule, and beyond Hyrule lies the vast world. I have already told thee of this world before, have I not? Within this world there are many lands filled with many people, and one such land is a harsh desert that borders our fair Hyrule, and from this desert comes one man, a wicked man in black armour."**

"**This is the man who visited the curse upon me, the man that seeks to undo Hyrule and claim it as his own, who doth with malicious desires abuse his vile prowess of sorcery so. This is the man whose heart doth lust after the Sacred Realm, and the divine secret of the golden power that lies within."**

"The Sacred Realm?" asked Link, "What's the Sacred Realm? What's inside it that this man could want so badly?"

"**A good question, and indeed this is where our story begins…"**

"**There was a time before the forest, a time before the light of the sun, before the spirit of the land breathed and its life flourished and teemed. In this time there was no Hyrule, there was only great, swirling chaos, unfit for the fragility of nature and harmony. It was many ages ago when the Three Goddesses descended upon the pandemonium of this world and decided that it be blessed with the gift of their heavenly powers."**

"The Goddesses…" echoed Link faintly, he had heard of them ever so often, and yet he could hardly say that he knew a thing about them.

"**The Three Goddesses, surely thou hast heard their names: Din, Nayru and Farore. Din, Goddess of Power, with the almighty strength of her blazing arms, moulded from the universe's shapeless clay our land, carving for us the mountains and the valleys, the hills and the rivers, the gift of the red earth. It is Din that adorned our sky with the beauty of her glow, the sun that doth hang so far above is her eye, watching over her land in the day."**

"**Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, poured her limitless knowledge into the earth, imparting to us her gift of morality and consciousness; of choice and freedom; of acumen and wit and enlightenment and law. Hers is the spirit that flows through our land. It is Nayru who gave us the night and day, the beauty of the depthless noon blue and the velvet midnight black, the cycle of order and seasons."**

"**And finally Farore, Goddess of Courage, with her undying love and rich soul, produced those that would follow and uphold the laws of Nayru, who would cultivate and enrich the earth of Din; the gift of life itself. It is Farore that gave us the green of the forest, the leaves upon our trees, the beating of thy heart and the radiance behind thine eyes. It is to Farore that we owe our very existence upon this great world."**

"**So it came to be that the land of Hyrule was born from the loving labour of the Three Goddesses; who, with their efforts spent, made for the heavens from whence they came, disappearing together to a place which we may never follow. It is at the point in our world where they vanished that they each left behind a triangle of purest gold, each shining with their divinity. In the ages gone by since they left our land it is the three golden triangles that have come to be basis of our world's providence: the Triforce, the mark of our greatest guardians. It is where the Triforce rests that has come to be known as the Sacred Realm, a place untouchable by those who have not fulfilled the wills of the Goddesses."**

Link was contented in earnest, never before had he heard the tale of the land's birth, and never had he thought it would be so astounding. How beautiful must the world be if the Three Goddesses had sculpted it with such power and grace? He leaned back, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

But the Deku Tree was no finished yet, and he continued in a wispy voice that lingered with a weakness unbefitting him, **"So it must be that thou cannot ever allow the man in the black armour to lay his hands upon the three Golden Triangles, to enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce as his alone. Nay, thou must not suffer the man and his dark heart; thou must go forth and stop him…"**

Link bolted upright, feeling a knot beginning to tie itself in his stomach, "Stop him? You want me to go out there and stop somebody from entering the Sacred Realm? But I thought you just wanted me to lift the curse!" The relief he had felt just seconds ago evaporated, tightening apprehension swiftly filling its place.

His voice slowly growing quieter still, the Deku Tree spoke** "And thou hast lifted it with great skill, yet this is only the beginning of your journey. A far greater curse looms over our world's future, and the task at hand is still beyond what you have achieved today. I must ask of thee…" **It trailed off into an odd silence mid-sentence.

"Great Deku Tree?" asked both Link and Navi.

There was another silence before the Deku Tree resumed, "**I apologise; I am growing weary. I must ask of thee… to go north, beyond the trees of the forest, where no Kokiri hath travelled in centuries gone by. Go to Hyrule Castle, it is there thou will find…the Princess of Destiny, the path of thy fate doth lead to her, it is imperative thou find her and bring her this, the object which that black-hearted man desired so greatly that he would condemn me with his foul magic…"**

A dimness came over the glade as the Great Deku Tree rustled its massive branches and shook free an object that shone with an impossibly bright green light, descending slowly like a tiny falling star. "Woah," mouthed Link, watching the light come into clearer view, noticing gold shining amidst the green brilliance.

"No, Great Deku Tree, you can't be entrusting us with _that_," said Navi.

"**I am, Navi. There are no others in this forest that I would trust more than the two that are before me now."**

The sparkling object floated down to Link, who stood up and reached out two cupped hands to catch it as it landed lightly in his palms. It was dazzling; a huge, round emerald the size of one of his fists, glinting in the bright sunlight that again entered the glade. Its edges were laced with brilliant gold, swirling into a small spiral at the emerald's centre; the old symbol of the Kokiri, identical to the one carved into the shield upon his back.

"The Kokiri Emerald… Link, this is the most ancient and cherished treasure of the Kokiri. No, forget that, of the whole forest!" said a reverent Navi. Link could feel something other than simply lustrous gold and shimmering crystal in its weight. It was not weight, it was not tangible; it was life and breath; as if in his hand he held at once the forest itself.

"**Thou art right, Navi, it is none other than the Kokiri Emerald… Link, I give this to thee as my final gift… you must be its custodian once I am gone…"** The Deku Tree was speaking in such pained tones that every word seemed to be one word too many.

"'Gone', Great Deku Tree? What do you mean 'gone'?" asked Link.

"**Thy efforts were valiant, and thy courage was true, but verily I was doomed before I even had the chance to summon thee… Have no regret for me and do not grieve my passing, for my life has been long and I have fulfilled my greatest purpose in telling thee what I have told today and I know… I know that… with thy new knowledge the Kokiri will be safer than they could ever have hoped to be." **His bark was dulling and beginning to shrivel and flake away.

"No!" cried Navi, jumping from Link's hat, "No! We saved you! We destroyed Gohma! We –"

**"I am sorry, Navi, such was the strength of the desert man's curse…these are my last moments… but I die knowing that the future of this wondrous land are in thy hands, Link… Hyrule's hope shines brightly still." **

"But everything! Everything we did! We destroyed her, just like you asked! The curse is _gone_!" pleaded Link.

"**Thou must not dwell on things thou hast not the power to change."  
**

"But we _saved _you!" cried Link and Navi in unison.

**"'twas my fate to die on this day and to set thy own fate in motion…**"

"My fate? How can follow my fate if I can't leave the forest? What am I going to do without it's protection? Without _your_ protection?" asked Link, distraught.

"**Trust in thy capabilities, in my in faith in thee… this is thy path, walk it proudly and strongly… thou hast great powers… thou hast… no need for mine own… The Princess… seek the Princess…"**

"No… no, no, no, there's a way, there has to be a way," moaned Navi.

"**I have told thee… do not dwell on the pains of the past… turn to the hopes of the future… I must… I must have thy word, Link… thy word that thou will go forth to carry out my final request…"**

"But Great Deku Tree I – but you -"

"**Please…"**

He knew he couldn't deny it, not the dying request of the only parent he'd ever known. Yet still there was the moment of quiet that sapped him of all but his doubts. "Great Deku Tree," Link hesitated briefly, before going on softly "I'll try my best. The princess, I'll find her for you."

"**Thou art courageous, Link…"**

"We'll… miss you," fumbled Link, stricken. "Thank you for taking care of me for all these years, for - for taking care of all of us."

"Yes, thank you," said Navi, her voice wavering.

"**O Navi the fairy… thou hast been so loyal… I entreat that thou help Link carry out my will and… help him find… his way…" **His leaves crackled in the wind as the browned and snapped from their branches.

"Of course, Great Deku Tree, I won't fail," said Navi, bowing and closing her eyes.

"**Link… Navi… my fondest love be with thee… Good… bye…"**

With a quiet creaking the Deku Tree's bark turned a pallid gray; the face seemed to fade back into the bark as leaves slowly pattered to the ground. A gust of wind swept by, and once it had passed both Link and Navi knew that the Great Deku Tree was gone. The monumental mass of the Tree still filled the glade and yet it seemed so much emptier, so much stiller; the Tree was naught but a pillar of wood and leaves.

Link was hollow. He felt the shock dying away to be replaced by shades of loss and foreboding. He pocketed the Emerald, its beauty and brilliance meant nothing to him right now, all he knew and felt was that the Deku Tree was gone: he hadn't done enough to save him. "Come on, Navi," he spoke at last, "You heard him. We should go."

Navi flew in front of him, a little closer to the remains of the Deku Tree. "Yes… right," she said quietly.

Taking a final look at the Tree, Link picked up his sword and put it away, wordlessly leaving the glade. Navi lingered for just a moment longer. "Goodbye, Great Deku Tree."

* * *

On the walk back through the passageway Navi did not speak a whisper as Link struggled to align the chaos of his thoughts. He was overwhelmed, the revelation of the Triforce, of the man in black armour, of the quest he was left with, of the death of the forest's only guardian. The wind seemed harsher; the sun colder, the grass browner, everything in the forest mourned and waned in the passing of its patron.

Despite the Tree's words Link felt the grief and the anger of vain efforts all the same. It hazed around him, and amidst it all he felt lost in something far greater than himself. _How can I leave the forest? How do I find this Princess? Where is she? _Who_ is she?_

The questions burned and caused him only greater frustration; and by some twisted miracle, he could've seen nothing worse than what he saw upon turning the final bend: Mido.

He was leaning against the wall at the very end of the path, and when he saw Link he gave only a resentful glare. Link tried to control himself and his voice, "What do you want, Mido?" he asked stiffly.

"Don't pretend you don't know," said Mido, "I felt it and I knew straight away you had something to do with it. So what happened in there, huh? What did the Great Deku Tree want from you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, he just wanted to talk about a few things and then he told me I could go. That's all."

"Don't you lie to me!" said Mido, his voice rising as he pushed himself off the wall and stood immediately in front of Link, "You think I can't tell? You think I don't realize it yet? The Great Deku Tree is _dead_! The whole forest can feel it in the air! And it was just after you went to go visit so don't you come to me and say you don't know anything about it!"

Link didn't reply; he had no desire to deal with Mido at all, let alone tell him anything of his task. And yet the storm in his head spat words of anger and derision that forced their way to the tip of his tongue. He shuddered to contain them, arms trembling and breath growing heavy.

"Answer me! What – did – you – do?"

Still the words swirled within him and still he fought to keep them there.

"Fine," said Mido, lowering his voice snidely, "If you want to stay quiet then that's okay. I'd say you probably were the one that killed him, after all, weren't you, you little freak? I always knew you were going to end up dooming us all, Mr. No-Fairy."

The name was too much.

He rushed forwards and grabbed Mido's scruff with both hands and slammed him against the wall, grief and rage thumping in his chest as he stared into the eyes that he had despised so much, a lifetime of loathing finally coming to a head. "You hateful, rotten piece of trash," he whispered through gritted teeth, "How dare you even think of calling me that now. How dare you even_ think_ of accusing me of that when I tried so hard to save him. You have _no_ idea about what I've just been through! He's gone, and that's all you need to know, so just go home, and leave me alone."

"Hah," said a frightened Mido, although still he returned Link's gaze with just as much antipathy, "Trash, eh? Look at you, you murderer, go ahead, do away with me just like you did with him, you good-for-nothing –"

"Don't think I won't do it, Mido!" Link hissed, the weight of the Kokiri Sword on his back tempting him.

"No! Link! What are you doing?" yelled Navi, breaking her silence, "Do you think this is what the Great Deku Tree wanted you to do? Snap out of it!"

Link tightened his hold and contemplated the face he had spent so long hating, the hurricane of his thoughts clouding his vision. What _was_ he doing? He released his grip in shock and shook his head as the rest of the world seemed to slide back into focus.

As Link let him go, Mido slid to the ground, shaken yet still full of fight and emotion, "I knew you couldn't do it," he taunted bitterly, "I don't see what she sees in you; you're nothing but a weakling."

"Forget about him, he's not worth it," said Navi, landing on Link's shoulder.

Link looked down at him before he strode away, not giving even a single glance back, all but ready to wipe his hands of Mido forever. "Why don't ya just _leave,_" shouted Mido behind him, "Just leave and don't ever come back!"

"Don't listen to him, Link, he doesn't know what you've gone through, or what you have to do, he's just a brat, that's all," said Navi, trying to calm Link down.

The market was going by, they were getting close to the river now and the sound of its rushing soothed his nerves a little. "But he's getting exactly what he wants, isn't he?" said Link, "We're leaving, and who knows for how long, for all we know I might not ever come back to the forest, to my home."

"Don't say that, it's just a trip to the castle to see what the princess wants, you'll be back here one day."

"What about that whole outside world? I might just drop dead the moment I leave the forest's boundaries."

"The Great Deku Tree said you had a job to do out there, he wouldn't tell you to do it if he knew you wouldn't be able to do it. He might be gone, Link, but the faith that we all had in him has to stay strong; we have to do what he told us to."

Link simply nodded and continued to make way for his house, ignoring the large amount of whispering his presence was stirring amongst the Kokiri returning from their afternoon work. It was only then that he remembered he was covered in patches of blood, only some of which was his, as well as generous amounts of dirt and insect pus.

Some were trying to keep their ruminations to a whisper, but others were not so kind, and he heard their words, much to his chagrin.

"He definitely knows something about the Great Deku Tree. Do you think he was there when it happened?"

"Look at what happened to his clothes! What was he doing?"

"Mido said that Link was the one that… y'know, did it."

"No! None of us would do that."

"Who ever said he's one of us?"

"Link! It's gotten so cold, what happened? Is the Great Deku Tree alright?"

"Link, some of us are starting to get scared…"

He didn't react to any of it, nor did he care for what they might've said about him. He wanted nothing more than that one last night of peace in his own home before he had to deal with tomorrow and the unthinkable journey it brought with it. Dozens of stares went unmet as he crossed the river and climbed the ladder at the foot of his house. Ignore them though he might, he still felt the gazes bore into him, and he was all too happy to let the world outside vanish behind his comfortable, familiar walls.

He walked across the room and pulled from his pocket the Kokiri Emerald, still glimmering even in the shade of his house. Entranced and somewhat alleviated by its gentle twinkling, he set it down on his table and collapsed on his bed, feeling its softness for what he knew would be the last time before he set off to meet his future.


	8. Chapter Eight: Not Time For Goodbyes

**Chapter Eight:  
Not Time For Goodbyes**

"Saria, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Aelie."

"Are you sure? You can tell me…"

"I'm fine it's just that… I can hear them. Goddesses, I can hear them, the spirits of the forest. They're weeping too, some of them are even leaving, it's awful." She was fiddling with the objects over her desk, picking up and putting down leaves and old dried-out seed shells here and there, not sure what exactly she was doing.

"I hear them too, it's unbearable. The fairies aren't all taking it well either. Some of them are crying even more than their Kokiri, it's just terrible. I guess none of us had ever thought there be a day when he was… gone. But I can't do that, Saria; I won't, I know I have to stay strong, if not for myself then definitely for you."

"Thanks, Aelie."

"Are you sure you're alright? You don't look so well," said the little green fay, flying herself level with Saria's downturned face.

"It's just – well – even with the Great Deku Tree gone I feel like it's not all over yet, like…" she seemed to be very interested in the woodwork of her table.

"Like what?"

"Don't worry."

"Saria, you've been acting strange since even before the Great Deku Tree passed away. So don't you tell me nothing's wrong. I'm your fairy, I can tell!"

"… Like I'm about to lose somebody else."

"What? Please don't go saying things like that! Please Saria, I know it's been tough for you and for everybody in the whole village, life without the Great Deku Tree is something none of us have ever known, but we've to keep our hearts upbeat, we have to keep caring for the forest and each other even when he's gone."

"I know, but I'm sure about this. It's not just a bad feeling or anything like that, I know it."

"You know what?"

"He's leaving."

"Are you sure? How can you even know that when nobody's talked to him yet?"

Saria put her hand to the ocarina at her chest and gave a half-hearted, wry smile, "He's my best friend, I can tell."

Dawn was only eking on the horizon when Link was out of bed and setting about his room, picking bags, packing food and filling his pockets only with what he was sure he needed. He took the time to go outside and fill his biggest canteen with water from the river and clean the Kokiri Sword so that it gleamed again in the pink dawn sun. He'd also washed out his tunic from the day before; he knew he wouldn't be taking it with him but he couldn't stand the thought of leaving anything in his house in a less-than-pristine state. All this had been done with a muted acceptance; and though a part of him said that he could turn himself back onto his bed and forget about it, he went about his business trying his best not to listen to it.

As he re-entered his room, wiping water from his freshly cleaned face, he saw Navi lying down on his bedside table; right where she'd been before he left, her light much less luminous as she slept. He hoped she'd be in better condition when she woke up; he'd woken up in the night to find her softly crying to herself. At the time he wished he could've comforted her, but he knew there was nothing he could've said to make it any better.

He continued his final preparations, putting the Kokiri Emerald into a small leather bag and making sure that the seed satchel was full so that his slingshot would be in no short supply of ammunition. It was when he was opening his closet door to pick out his best pair of boots that Navi stirred on the table, "Good morning, Link," she said croakily. Though Link could not see them, her eyes were still red.

"Morning, Navi," he responded as he pulled his boots on and tied the laces together, "How're you feeling?"

"Just peachy," said Navi, trying her best to bounce up from the table and sound enthusiastic, "Looks like you're all geared up for the road then?"

"Yeah, I think I've gotten just about everything I need from this place," he said, standing up and putting his cap on, adjusting it so it fit just right.

"Well then, I guess there's no use waiting around, we should be off as soon as we can."

"Yep, especially before anybody's awake."

As they left, Link took one more cursory look back at his house, wondering when would be the next time he would be truly be able to call it his home. A hint of longing in his eyes, he turned to face the balcony and look around the village from his vantage point, the view somehow even more beautiful after all these years.

"You know, this village might not have always been the nicest thing ever to me, but it's the only place I've ever known. It's all here, in these trees, everything; but in the end it's all just one tiny place in that huge world out there, isn't it? And I'm going to be gone for, what do you think? Days? Weeks?" he sighed and shuddered a little, "Months? I'm… I'm really gonna miss this place."

His sight was drawn to one particular, small house to his right.

"Do you want to talk to her before we go?" asked Navi.

"No."

"We could, it really wouldn't be that troublesome for you or her."

He hesitated, longing eyes keeping on the house. "No," he said, "We don't have to. If I ever come back I'll speak to her then, and if I don't then, well…"

Navi understood and didn't protest, following Link as he descended the ladder. When he dismounted it he noticed something that had eluded his sight for years: a small drawing carved into the side of his tree, a drawing depicting a small figure. It was crude, extremely rudimentary; line-thin limbs daring to bear a sword against a giant, horned beast belching flame from its sharply teethed maw. He saw it and couldn't help but laugh a little, remembering the time he carved it; he was a tiny little child, barely more than a few years old and even smaller than the rest of the Kokiri.

"Aw, look at that," said Navi, inspecting and admiring the carving, "It's adorable."

"It's like a dream come true, isn't it?" Link said wistfully, "If only I'd known then that I'd have all of this and more, I would have been one happy little guy."

"Well it's not like you could've guessed that Hyrule would be counting on you save it from evil."

"Hah, I don't know, I probably could've imagined it back then." He passed his fingers over the image; and it was as if he had his first knife in hand again, rough-edged and rough-handled. His eyes closed for a moment before he went on, "C'mon, no time to waste."

They proceeded through the empty village, and once they reached the solitary path that led out of the forest they turned. Facing the quiet village, they gave what seemed an appropriate silent farewell to the place that had nurtured them for so long, that last sight of the houses, the trees, the cliffs and the river was all of their home they could take with them. It was with just as little sound that they turned back to the path that led to the world that awaited them.

The way through the trees was a soft blue-green in the shade, the early sun only meekly sifting through the canopy and hardly offering a hint of warmth in the morning chill. The way remained quiet save for the chirping of morning birds and the scuffing of Link's shoes on dirt, but once they approached a small clearing another sound began to drift to their ears. It was musical; rising and falling in little, cheerful waves, though it stopped every now and then before it began again. Link and Navi looked at each other as they both realized what it was, "An ocarina," whispered Navi.

"It's her."

"Do you want me to –"

"No, I'll talk to her."

"Okay, I'll wait here until you're done."

He walked ahead through the clearing and saw a small wooden bridge stretching over a little creek, the path continuing through the trees on the other side. But the path wasn't what interested him now; it was the green-haired girl that stood alone on the bridge, with an ocarina to her mouth and not even a fairy to accompany her.

"You're going now, aren't you?" she said calmly.

He stood there and searched; it didn't take long, he could find nothing better than total honesty was what she deserved. "Yeah, I'm leaving…but you have to understand, Saria!"

"I know, I know," she said, putting her ocarina down by her side and facing the planks of the bridge, "You've got to do it, right? It's what the Great Deku Tree had to tell you yesterday."

Link nodded.

"Then I bet it's real important, and I'm not going to try and stop you. To be honest, I had a feeling that this day had to come sooner or later. I guess it was always going to be too soon." She began to fiddle with her ocarina. "There was always something about you, Link; not that it was anything bad at all, but it was there; something about you that none of the other Kokiri had. I never knew what it was but I could feel it, and I'm sure that the Great Deku Tree felt it too, even more than me. In the end, though, I'll bet that's why he trusted you as the one who was going to leave, right?"

There was a pause before she resumed, "If you don't mind me asking," she said without looking up, "What did you do with the Great Deku Tree? What did he tell you?"

He took a minute to briefly explain what had happened to the Tree, how he had entered it to lift the curse, how he had faced the wrath of Queen Gohma only to find that the Deku Tree was to die anyway, but not without leaving him with his journey to find the princess. All through his recollection she still refused to look up.

"And it was all useless, in the end," he concluded, "The Great Deku Tree still died, and the man from the desert is still out there, trying to take that Triforce for himself. Everything I did turned out to be for nothing."

"There you go again," she said with a chuckle, "No matter what you do, you never give yourself enough credit, do you? You slew a monster that strong enough to overcome the Great Deku Tree, you saved the village from a fate so much worse than the one it got, and you stopped the desert man from taking the Emerald, didn't you? Link, you've done things braver than anybody I've even _heard_ of," she raised her head and managed a small smile, "You really are greater than anybody else here."

"I guess you're just happy to be right again, as always," joked Link.

"Hah, well, it's not always that great. I mean, you're leaving, aren't you? I wish I wasn't right about that."

"So do I…"

"But it's for the greater good, saving the world and all that, it's got to count for something, doesn't it?"

"I guess it does, just a little."

They both laughed, and Link felt blessed enough to have seen Saria happy again. Once their laughter died down, Saria brought her ocarina to her chest and looked upon it. "I was writing a song, you know. I spent all of yesterday and last night trying to write it, and even some of this morning on this bridge, but I couldn't finish it. I suppose I was trying to cheer myself up, but I was writing it for you too; I wanted a song that you could take with you, something that could make you smile, you've always had a wonderful smile. Oh, if only I'd had a couple more hours it would've been ready! But I can't show it to you yet, not when it's incomplete."

"I'm sure it was beautiful, Saria, you couldn't possibly go wrong with anything to do with an ocarina."

"That's sweet of you, Link. But I want you to promise that someday soon you'll come back here and see me, just sometime while you're traveling. Even if it's only just once, so I can show you my song when it's done. Please? I'm sorry; I know it's asking a lot but-"

"Yes," said Link at once, "Absolutely. I don't care how far away I am, I wouldn't miss a song of yours for anything."

She beamed, "Thank you, Link; that means more than the world to me." She stopped and thought for a second, "Oh the world, Link, the world! I can't believe you're going to see it; all the strange, strange creatures and places that the Great Deku Tree used to tell us about. It's not all that bad, is it? In a way it's just what you've wanted for so long."

"Well, the outside world can't be all _that_ great…"

"Oh of course it'll be great! A whole wide world, there's no way that there's nothing out there worth seeing. It's not all just forests and meadows; it's a whole lot more, you know it's got to be."

"Yeah well, if it's not all the forest and the meadows then there'll be some pretty great things that I already know about which I won't be able to see, won't there?" he asked, "Some pretty great people..."

There was another pause between them until Saria spoke again, "Oh and, there's one more thing. I want you to have something you can remember me by when you're on your journey," she said, pulling the ocarina's thread over her head and freeing it from around her neck. She grabbed Link's hand and placed the instrument in his palm, "I want you to have this."

"Your ocarina? I can't take that! You've had this ocarina for as long as I've known you! It's practically older than me! Besides, I'd hardly be able to play it. No, you're kidding, I won't."

"Take it, Link. I can always make another one. I want you to keep this, as a gift. You'll be able to play it just fine, you always had a knack for the ocarina, it's going to be right at home in your hands. Play it sometimes, and remember the forest, okay? Just keep it safe, and don't be too rough on it, it's a special little thing."

Link was lost for words, but he didn't need them anyway; he hugged Saria with all his might. As she returned the hug he felt for the first time the confidence that what he was about to embark upon may just be right. They released each other and Saria gave a small kiss upon Link's cheek and pulled back to look at him with all the care she could muster. Link felt his cheek burn softly as he looked back into her shimmering green eyes and saw a beauty that surpassed even that of the emerald that rested at his hip. "Saria, I… I'll miss you."

She let no tears go this time, she had said and done almost everything she wanted to, "Don't you worry, it's not time for goodbyes, we'll see each other again soon, I just know it" she said.

"Then I guess this is just 'see you later'?"

She gave one last smile, "See you later, Link."

He walked backwards along the bridge, still facing her as she began to wave, "See you later, Saria."

He took a last moment to take in the sight of her before he turned and ran for the end of the bridge, Navi swiftly hurrying after him. The last thing Saria saw of him was his pointed hat wagging atop his head as he turned a corner, running out of sight with such boundless energy for a tired Kokiri child. She sighed and turned to make her way back to whatever awaited her back at the village that was now so much emptier.

Link kept running, determined not to turn back. To him, that path ahead was all there was. He ran until the trees thinned out and the growing light of the sun began to force its way to the earth. And once the trees were completely gone, there stood a plain of rolling green rustling just beyond them. He took a deep breath and took careful steps ahead, seeing the trees grow fewer and fewer, their reassuring presence edging away from him. He took his time. "You can do it," encouraged Navi, the threshold coming closer and closer.

He counted down each pace, and reminded himself, _just one step at a time_. As he edged the limits of the forest's magic he felt a lump catch in his throat. He brought his foot up to take the ultimate step, "Here goes nothing."


	9. Chapter Nine: Violets and Grass

**Chapter Nine:  
Violets and Grass**

_She was flying._

_She did not know how but there she was, suspended impossibly in the sky. She floated above the castle and town but she could not see the field, though it was not far away. It was dark, unnaturally dark. She looked up and saw storm clouds like she'd never seen, swirling above, hopelessly gloomy._

_She was cold._

_No matter where she turned she couldn't find the sun, not even the faintest hint of it behind the sprawling storm. She was forgotten; Din's eye was not here to watch over her; even the Goddesses could not find her here._

_Lightning._

_It struck the castle; her castle. Screams filled her throat but her mouth wouldn't open. All she could do was watch as the lightning struck again and again, bursting stones from their centuries-old resting places, setting the towers ablaze and leaving the building up in smoke. And all through this she couldn't do a thing to stop it, not even whimper in fear nor anguish._

_The clouds. They were moving._

_They crashed down, impossibly thick, swallowing the castle's remains and sweeping over the town, churning and writhing from the heart of its vastness to its wisps, a black-grey mist poured from the empty heavens, drowning the city and land that she so dearly loved. _

_The poison was spreading._

_The mist below rolled, and as it moved across the earth she could see its horrible path. The hills and plains that were once the most fertile green wilted and withered beneath its weight; the villages and little towns that littered the field were smothered in its endless volumes of liquid yet horrifically solid mass. And strangled though they were she could hear them, agonisingly faint; the screams, the thousands and thousands of screams that hooked into her mind and her very being, and she felt her heart crumple in its frozen cage._

_Everything. Everything dying._

_The mountain was riled into a fiery rage as it began to spew flames down its slopes; the river stagnated and turned a foul brown in the ash. What could she do? She was frozen in the sky, nothing but a witness to the agonizing death of her kingdom and all she cared for._

_The end. The inevitable._

_But it was when the clouds had almost engulfed the kingdom entire, when it encroached upon the final corner of the land where she knew the forests lay, that she saw them split by the most radiant of lights. It was magnificent, a pure beam of white that shone from the trees, forcing the darkness to falter, to recoil like a hand to flame. And bit by bit she witnessed a most beautiful sight; a luminous path torn through the storm and etching upon her land a glimmering line of hope._

_Firmness. Earth._

_She was standing in the field, just in front of the battered castle town, watching as the beam bathed the city in white and sent the clouds twisting aside, leaving them seething but unable to touch her home. She raised her arm, though it hardly seemed to help with the blinding light. At once the beam collapsed and warped itself into a much smaller shape, no bigger than her herself, and standing right there in the field before her eyes. The clouds of mist collapsed upon the darkened path behind her, but still they strained to come any closer to this beacon that the beam had become._

_No, not a beacon; a figure, a person; but in its brilliance she couldn't tell exactly how they looked. All she could make out was the slightest suggestion of green upon the figure, and two lights that hovered beside it: one that shone the brightest green and another that glowed a warm blue. This person… a child…_

_Light. Hope._

* * *

"Zelda, my dear, are you alright?"

Her eyes flickered open to see the red eyes of her young nursemaid looking back. She rubbed her eyes on her silken sleeve before sitting up on the puffy down of her bed. Her bedroom blurrily sank into view, early dawn trickling in through her window past the thick, purple drapes.

"I'm fine, Impa, why wouldn't I be?" she replied, hastily wiping the sweat from her brow.

"You were -" but before Impa could go on the door was flung open and a tall, bearded, weary-looking man burst into the room in fanciful red and mauve robes, adorned with an ornate crown.

"How is she?" he asked worriedly, before looking to see her propped up in her bed, "Oh Zelda, you're awake!" He rushed forward and knelt before her bed, holding her hand and looking concernedly at her. He was so intently close she could've counted the greying hairs in his brown beard.

"Father, I'm just fine! Could somebody please tell me what's the matter?"

"The guards called me; they told me you were screaming in your sleep! Oh my child, please, if anything's wrong -"

"Screaming?" she asked, quizzically glancing at Impa; she too looked intensely worried, her strong cheekbones showed in her face that had gone even paler than its usual complexion, challenging the hue of her stark white hair.

"You wouldn't stop shouting, you kept telling somebody to 'stop'," replied Impa, her husky voice filled with anxiety, "It was like you were in pain."

Zelda looked down, knowing what they'd say if she told them exactly what had happened to her. Regardless, she chose to tell them the truth, "It was that dream again, the same one, the one with the clouds –"

Her father sighed in relief and immediately stood back up, the lines of worry slightly fading from his tired face; she'd expected no more of him. Impa, however, remained close by, her face still pale. "Oh, Zelda, you'd scared me! Only a dream, only a dream," said her father with a slight laugh, "If something serious had befallen you I don't have the faintest clue what I would have done!"

She did not smile, but kept speaking with seriousness beyond her twelve years, "Father, it's not only a dream, I've told you that already. Look, I know you don't want to believe me, but I really think that -"

"And I've told you already that I've thought about it and there's nothing to be afraid of! Hyrule is in _peace_, and nothing is going to break that peace any time soon," said the king, suddenly stern.

"I know, father! I'm telling you there's no other –"

"Enough is enough; these are youthful dreams and nothing more."

Zelda looked pleadingly at Impa, who merely shook her head. She resigned herself and slumped down, arms crossed.

"I am glad that you are unharmed, my child," continued the king, "Now, I must return to the court, it's rather urgent I'm afraid."

"Can I go into the town today?" asked Zelda, sitting up hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Zelda, we must all stay within the castle. The Gerudo king ensures us he will be visiting us again soon, and I can't have a single guard out of line. Besides, you know that he is always happy to see you during his visits," he said.

Zelda opened her mouth but her father was quick to persist before she could say a word, "No, none of that nonsense. I know you don't like him, but I'm not going to have something as trivial as my daughter's childish dreams get in the way of a peaceful alliance with the Gerudo; our land has been through too much for me to risk that," he declared with exasperated finality. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and before she knew it he was sweeping back towards the door.

Zelda crossly watched her father exit the room. Once he was gone she turned again to speak to Impa, who had set about the room to part the curtains. "He'll never believe me," said Zelda, flustered and jaded. "He won't believe me until it's too late and this whole kingdom's been burnt to the ground."

"He's a man set in his ways, dear; he can't imagine the world falling into chaos again so soon; he wouldn't even dare to think it, it is simply how he is."

"But you believe me, don't you?

"Perhaps," said Impa with a tiny shrug of her shoulders, "I've seen things far stranger than dreams and prophesies; I see no reason why there is not at least a chance you may be correct."

"Well, at least somebody thinks so," said Zelda, leaning back against the wall, "But even then, what can I do to stop it?"

* * *

His foot came down and yet his heart was still beating. He was beyond the forest's boundary, but here he stood, breathing and grinning in the light morning breeze. "I made it," he said with a building glee, "I made it! I'm here! The outside world! The first Kokiri in centuries to see this place, can you believe it?"

The wind whipped up his hair, his tunic rippling as he revelled in it all. The air here already felt different; crisper and cooler, but no less pleasant. No, it felt just as fresh, but a different kind of fresh. Everything felt different; the endless grass seemed to sway differently in the breeze and the sky shone a different shade of blue and uncannily seemed sharper (if that were even possible) without the filter of the Kokiri Forest's creamy glow to see it through

It was wonderful, expansive beyond his dreams; a dozen (no, a hundred!) times wider than any meadow he'd ever worked in; and, shockingly enough, with such fewer trees. He took it all in, not quite able to get enough of it all. "It's beautiful…" he said in awe.

"It really is," said Navi, "Hyrule Field…I'd read and heard about this place, but I never would've thought it would've been like this, it's astounding…"

"It's so big…where do we go now?"

"You remember what the Great Deku Tree said, right? North, to Hyrule Castle," answered Navi, "We'd best be on the move, the Forest is in the south of Hyrule, so we've got a long way to go to find that princess."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Link took off at a run, avid to see just what this new world had to offer. He passed over hills and mounds and plains, all the while turning his head left and right to watch the land go by. He saw little creeks flowing alongside him, all heading to what must've been one giant reservoir, he saw rocky mountains towering into the sky in the far off distance, and one huge mountain daring to tower above them all.

He drank in the view in full but found himself thirsting for more of the endless rolling hills and sweeping verdant plains that were broken only by the occasional river or worn out dirt path, or perhaps a small, dilapidated wooden fence here or there.

Every now and then if he squinted hard enough he saw odd shapes skirting his vision, brightly coloured squares and triangles dotting the earth in clusters, some of these shapes even appeared to be churning out wispy, white smoke into the air to mingle with the cottony clouds in the sky.

As he scanned the strange, new world around him yet another time he still found himself unused to seeing the horizon without trees, with nothing but those odd shapes and titanic mountains to challenge his gaze. Strange though it was, it only seemed to magnify the beauty that passed through his wide eyes as he strode upon the world he had so often imagined, a world realized before him in the most unbelievable greens and blues.

In the midst of it all, Link failed to notice one peculiarity that stood out amongst all others. Flapping its wings high above him was a large owl, watching him with curious intent as he dashed across the field. It was, of course, strange enough that an owl was flying about in the hours of day as this owl was; but indeed, this was no ordinary owl, and the strange markings on its face and the odd depth of its steely eyes were all one needed to see to know just that.

It soared down sharply, hooting loud enough so that Link raised his eyes to the sky to find its immense silhouette blotting out the sun for a split second. He stopped in his tracks, observing the oversized bird circle him with its wings flapping noisily. As it descended it displaced the air and pushed his fringe into his eyes.

Brushing the hair from his vision he watched the owl perch its razor sharp talons upon a nearby tree, twitching its neck and ruffling its own feathers with a few shakes of its body. Link looked on with interest; he'd seen many birds in the forest, but none quite the size of the one on the tree before him. Could all the birds in Hyrule be as massive as this one was? And did all the owls out here come out so early in the day?

He tilted his head a little and the owl did the same. He lifted his head back up in mild surprise and the owl followed too. A little amused, he moved close to the tree and bent his head forwards to get a closer look at the strange bird, which bent its own head forward and looked back with its sharp eyes. It looked weary and old, but Link found a certain kind of majesty in its size and gaze.

"Hello, Link," it said.

"Ah!" cried Link, his head jumping back as he made quick distance between himself and the inexplicably articulate owl. "What did you-?"

"I said hello, Link," it responded calmly in a deep, refined voice.

Link could do nothing but gawk back, quite sure now that there was something very amiss with this bird. He leaned ever so slightly towards the fairy by his side, "Navi… that owl just talked to me," he said, feeling as ridiculous as the words left his mouth.

"It – it did," said Navi, her too stunned at the sound of the owl's voice. "Perhaps we should – er – say hello back? You know, proper manners and all…"

Unsure of just what the proper manners of conversing with a bird entailed, Link tried his best to compose himself as he spoke. "Um, hello to you too… owl."

"An owl I may be, but a name I do possess. You may call me Kaepora Gaebora, it has been my moniker for many an age now," said the owl.

"Okay… hello Kaepora Gaebora, I'm –"

"Link. Yes, I know."

"And how did you -?"

"I am a bird, a son of the sky; I travel fast and as such I gather news with fitting speed. I do say that among the beings of the forest the whispers of you are as many as the whispers of the Great Deku Tree."

"The beings of the forest know about –?"

"Why yes, naturally they too felt the passing of the Great Deku Tree. Such tragedy has ways of afflicting many, though I am glad to see that you have been of great enough calibre to make good on your word to the Deku Tree. I should hope that you do not disappoint his trust in you."

"Of course I'm not going to –"

"Yes, yes, as you say you; shan't disappoint him, I am sure. The very fact you stand before me here in this field and not sheltered within the walls of your forest home is a testament to your mettle. Encouraging, dare I say it, very encouraging."

Link was starting to feel a niggling irritation at the way the owl kept cutting his sentences short, but was still rather fascinated by the fact it was speaking at all. Praying to fit a word in edgewise, he attempted another question, "And why are you here talking to me at all?"

"Hoo! Because I am very much intrigued by the last whims of the Great Deku Tree and because your presence outside of the forest is curious, very curious indeed."

Navi closed in on Link's ear and whispered to him, "He's certainly odd, but maybe we should ask him about the castle and the princess? You never know what he could be able to tell us. I mean, he can already talk."

"Your fairy is correct. Perhaps you ought to ask me about the castle and the princess," said the owl immediately after Navi had stopped.

Navi looked up, glaring, "Well that was just rude!"

Kaepora Gaebora ignored her and kept his eyes on Link, "I shall answer to the best of my knowledge," he said with a nodded bow of his head.

Perturbed but eager for answers, Link asked away. "Kaepora Gaebora, what can you tell me about the princess and Hyrule Castle? The Great Deku Tree told me I had to go visit her there and I know it's really important, I'm just not sure… well I'm not sure how to get there at all."

"Hoo… yes, naturally she would be at the castle. The princess of this fair land resides in the north, at the far end of this field in the most impressive abode of her Royal Family," said the owl, sweeping its right wing out to point to a distant spot on the horizon. "You will find her countless paces this way, all you must do is follow the way northeast until you find the trade paths, they all lead to the castle in the end. But do not think you can make the journey in a single day."

"That's okay, I've brought enough to eat to make it through the night," said Link.

"Just the one night? Hoo! Perhaps you underestimate the scale of this kingdom, child. You must be of considerable skill and stamina to cross the land in one cycle of the sun."

"I told you, this is important. I'll walk for days if I have to; I _will_ make it there."

"Well if you dare traverse this wide land, I say that food is but the smallest of your concerns!" said the owl. "These are strange times we live in now, Link, strange times indeed; and strange things do happen all over this land, whether by light or night."

"'Strange things', you say? And what exactly do you mean by that, huh?" said Navi.

"No matter, no matter; I suspect you needn't even hear that from me; no, you shall learn it on your own as you at last discover this great land we call Hyrule."

"That's all well and good but how can you just say 'no matter'?" said Link, stepping closer to the owl, "Please, surely there is something else you can help us with, just a piece of advice to help us get to this castle faster?"

"I must be on my way, my friends," proclaimed Kaepora Gaebora, already beginning to flap its massive wings and rustle the leaves and Link's hair once more, "I trust that you shall find your way without an excess of trouble, or so I should hope."

"But wait, you've barely even -" It was useless, Link's yells were muffled in the whoosh of Kaepora Gaebora's wings, as Navi clung to Link's shoulder against the gusts.

"Farewell, for now! It shan't be too long before we cross paths again, I'm sure!" called the owl as it rose and soared away, its sizeable figure drifting into the distance and a few of its large, long feathers floating slowly to the ground.

As the feathers settled Link put a hand to his head, "We just got talked to… by an owl. This place is already just so…"

"Not a particularly helpful owl, though, was he?" said Navi, unimpressed, "You'd think if he'd make the effort to talk so much, he'd actually say something of worth." A witty retort crossed Link's mind but he suppressed it, stifling a burst of laughter that Navi failed to notice before she continued on, "But that's expected, I suppose, what are we supposed to expect from a bird, after all?"

"Enough about him," said Link, as he stretched his legs in anticipation, "We still have so much of this place to see!"

"Quite right, Link, no time to waste!"

And once again he was sprinting away to quench his eyes' thirst for more of this new world.

* * *

She'd always loved the Queen's Courtyard the most. She loved it even though it lay adjacent to the Throne Room, which meant there was sure to be a guard nearby at any given time. Of course, she was inclined towards any part of the castle where she could find the vividness of grass and life amidst the polished echo of marble and stone, but that wasn't merely it. Of all the gardens and courtyards within the castle's grounds, this was the only one without a trace of the garish royal draperies; the huge, babbling fountains; the overly stylised vineries or the melodramatic, overblown statues. It was but a circle of grass surrounded by a ring of water, with a smattering of colour at its centre where her mother's flowers lay.

It was all she'd left Zelda, all those years ago; and though her father's tears had long since dried, Zelda had always known that he couldn't bear to change a single thing within the walls of this courtyard.

And so she loved it, the simple beauty of a spot of the earth's green set in a band of the sky's reflected blue, white and grey, where she could sit as she sat now, as she'd sat all morning since she'd woken from that dream. Here beside the flowers she could remember the vaguest feeling of her mother's arm around her and the lightest whispers of her long-gone voice.

_Perhaps if she were still here today she'd be able to knock some sense into him_, thought the princess, picking up a little violet and twirling it between her fingers, _perhaps she'd be able to realise that just one visit into town wouldn't hurt; just one visit without the stomping of two dozen guards around me at every turn_.

She couldn't remember what the town looked like when it wasn't trapped behind the wall of spears and plated legs that had come to be her constant companion outside the castle, along with Impa who, of course, always meant well but had seemed to have caught a mild case of the doting that affected her father so often. "You must be safe," she'd heard so many times before, "Or else this land won't be able to have you as its queen!"

But how could she be a wise and just queen if she knew nothing of the world beyond the parapets? The minute specks that moved along the streets and squares below, the countless thousands more in the towns and villages outside the city walls; they were to be her people one day, and yet until then she was to be separated from them by towers of stone or barricades of armour and weapons.

The violet fell gently to the grass as she rested her head on her palm and breathed a vexed breath.

"Careful with the violets dear," said a deep, gentle voice behind her, "Purple is to be the colour of your reign, you know that."

"Sorry, father," she said, turning her head to face the king; who she noticed was without his crown, a sight she rather preferred. She began to get to her feet, but stopped when he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and instead knelt down to be beside her.

"And of course, they were always your mother's dearest flower." He picked the violet from the grass and held it to the sun as if to inspect its every petal.

"They were?"

He nodded, still transfixed by the flower, "They were the first that she planted here when the courtyard became hers. It's all so long ago now but I can still remember telling her she could do whatever she wanted with this place, and she just stood there with that badly-hidden grin of hers, telling me that the violets and the grass were all she needed. I persisted and persisted but she held her ground and just refused to listen to a word I said. Does that remind you of somebody?" He turned to Zelda and gave a little smile.

Zelda couldn't help but smile too and hurriedly turned her attention to what must have been a particularly interesting blade of grass.

Her father laughed heartily and put his arm around her shoulder, "Yes, yes, you're your mother's girl, dear, no need to take any shame in that!"

"But father, these aren't just violets, there are roses, lilies; all sorts of flowers in here," observed Zelda, "I guess your stubbornness got its way with her, too."

"These? Oh, your mother wasn't obsessed, Zelda, she didn't just like violets! Over time she tended to new flowers, and all the while she blissfully ignored my suggestions to add even just a tapestry here or an ornament there. Honestly, she enjoyed ignoring me rather too much!"

Zelda could hardly hide her grin now, too, no matter how captivating any blade of grass was, and her father turned her chin up to face him. "She'd be proud of me, wouldn't she?" the young, grinning princess said.

"So proud, my dear; without a single doubt." The king's gaze wandered around the courtyard and at once his face seemed less lined as a look that had become ever so rare crossed it: serenity. "And after all, your mother was right, and I thank the Goddesses every day for the way she put up with my foolishness. I came around to see why she wanted nothing but the flowers here; to see why she wanted at least one place in this castle where she could have nothing but her flowers and her thoughts."

"I refuse to believe that, father!" quipped Zelda mockingly, "_You_ gave in to _her_?"

Her father nodded and that little smile returned to him, "There wasn't a chance that I wouldn't. She understood me and I was a different man for knowing her; and I don't mean that my beard was browner before I met her!" Zelda laughed and her father turned back to her, "I know you think I'll never listen, Zelda, but the courtyard we're in right now is proof that I can."

Zelda pursed her lips briefly before giving the matter one last chance, "So then my dreams, all that I've said about the Gerudo king, are you saying you won't just ignore that?"

The serenity flickered, and her father closed his eyes in thought, "I will never just ignore anything you tell me, you're my little girl and what you say will always matter."

"So why won't you just do away with him? Why do you let him march through our streets and place his troops wherever he wants? Why do you let him roam the kingdom and the castle so freely when you _must_ feel what I do about this? I've heard the rumours, father, and –"

"Do you honestly believe word has not reached my ear?" the king said, calm but firm, "Of course I've had reports from the mountains and the rivers of where he has been travelling and I know what you think that means. It may certainly seem that way but we just cannot be sure, my child."

"Then enough of the reports, why not ask the Gorons and Zoras themselves?"

"Relations are not so simple; my time on the throne has taught me that well. The Gorons have grown tired of my envoys, they don't seem the slightest bit interested in any more trade nor alliance at this stage; to pursue one more matter like this will only make that worse. Meanwhile, the Zoras tell me they denied him any access to their inner domain, and that they are far too caught up in their own issues to discuss the matter any further."

"And the forests?" she asked more tentatively, after-images of a bright beam and a hovering ball of light flashed in her head, "Can we be certain he hasn't been looking there, too?"

Her father shook his head, "You know that the forest is more now a land of legend and tale than reality; and we can't send any more messengers there, I won't risk another disappearance."

"So why not act if we can't be sure that he is _not _seeking them? I can't tell you this enough, father, I _know_ what these dreams mean and you absolutely cannot trust that man!" She tried to mask it, but the pleading in her heart crept over her face and eked into her voice.

This time her father did not scoff nor wave her away, he held her cheek and spoke softly, "Because dreams are not enough, and if we can't be sure that he _is_ seeking them then we cannot decisively act either. He may be moving in a certain pattern across this land but I can't afford to have him taken away based on that. Peace with the Gerudo is what he is offering and that is what concerns me most, and to lay such a damning accusation upon him may sour our relations for generations. Without that peace we can never be sure that that war won't return."

"But if he is trying to get all three of them then peace is of no interest to him, can't you –"

"I _know_, Zelda, but you must understand that I must give this peace whatever hope it can get," the lines settled into his skin once more and he was suddenly strained, "We can never let it happen again. That war could've shattered this kingdom; it burned our cities, it stripped our land, it tormented our people and…" His eyes set back upon the violet in his hand, "… it took her away from us."

She felt her persistence slide away; guilt filtering through to take its place and the dull pain of longing for the voice behind those remembered whispers curled up in her chest. As her father closed his eyes again she put her hand on his and lightly grasped the violet too, "I'm sorry, father."

"It's fine, my dear, it's not at all your fault, do not apologise," he seemed to wrest with a thought before his eyes opened and he exhaled. "But I hope now you understand how vital it is for me that the Gerudo come to trust us."

Zelda nodded, her doubts not erased but her frustration subdued. She leaned into her father's side and wrapped her arms around him, "I understand."

He hugged her with his arm, "Thank you." Pulling away, he looked down directly into her silver-blue eyes, "Don't ever think I won't listen, Zelda. Your mother was a wise woman, wise beyond her years; and you are your mother's girl." He put the little violet behind her ear, "You will be a kind and gracious queen as she was, without doubt. But wise though you are, you are a child with much to learn," he smiled warmly, "And dreams are but dreams."

"Your Highness," came a new voice from the doors to the Throne Room, it was a guard. "A Gerudo emissary is at the gates, she brings word of her king's arrival."

"Ah, at last, word from the desert!" said the king, "Send the message down that I shall be there as soon I can." As the guard scurried away the king looked back to his daughter, "I'm sorry, dear, I'm afraid this is rather important."

"Go," said Zelda supportively, "Just promise you'll be careful about this?"

"I promise," her father said, kissing her on the forehead again before rising to his feet. Zelda looked on as her father, robes rustling along after him, made way for the Throne Room, the wooden doors closing gently behind him.

She pulled the violet out from behind her ear and contemplated it, "Dreams are but dreams…"

* * *

He was hardly going to admit it to Navi but Link was regretting his decision to explore Hyrule at a run. He'd long since given in to his legs' pleas and resorted to more of a leisurely stroll along the still-brilliantly-green hills and plains, and when the sun was high in the sky and its heat made him sweat beneath his cap he convinced Navi (to much scoffing) that it wouldn't hurt to stop upon a hill and eat a little lunch.

Even so, by the time the sun had traded its bright noon heat for the cool of the late afternoon his legs had had just about enough for the day of even a leisurely stroll.

Still he persevered, if only by the raw satisfaction felt from the new sights the field never seemed to stop yielding; the new animals, the new trees, even the sight of that same-but-different grass and striking orange sunset. He'd even managed to get closer to a few of the shapes he'd seen on the horizon, which up-close bewildered him still. "Buildings", Navi had called them, "In a way they're like the trees back in the village, shelters and houses for the people out here." However fascinated Link was by them, he kept his distance from the bizarre geometric constructions, at the time it was all too much to get any nearer.

But now as evening ceded to night and those sights became mired in the dimming light his muscles made their last case and he could only listen to them. "I think we've done pretty well for a day, haven't we?" he suggested, rubbing his legs to ensure they could still feel anything.

(They couldn't.)

"What do you mean 'For a day'? There's still light out, it's not been a day!"

"What do _you _mean 'light out'?" asked Link in disbelief.

"I mean that there's light out, don't get snappy at me! There's enough light to keep going."

"Just hold on a moment then. Stay right where you are, will you?" said Link. He began walking away from Navi, counting his steps under his breath.

Navi did not move, but still spoke up, "And just where do you think you're going?"

"Stay right there!" called Link, "… nine, ten." He finished counting and stopped to turn on the spot, holding out his arm with three fingers raised, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"We don't have time for your immaturity!"

"How many?"

Navi fluttered there for a moment, eyes obviously straining and squinting, "Four?" guessed the fay.

And with his arm still outstretched and his face covered in a broad, smug smile he made his way back to Navi, "Not quite."

Her ball of light flashed bright and she grumbled loudly, "Oh fine! You're right, it's a little dark out here; let's find somewhere to settle for the night. Are you happy?"

"Just a little," admitted Link proudly, strolling past her with something of a half-limp.

The last traces of sunlight slipped beneath the far-off hills and soon the half-moon was all that lit the way for them. Link trudged slower and slower as minutes seemed to stretch out in the darkness. They surveyed the landscape trying to find any sort of shelter, yet there were no trees they came by that would ensure safety from either wind or rain. Just as the sun shone brighter outside the forest, so too did the night's wind and chill bite deeper; Navi retreated into Link's hat as meanwhile he felt the goosebumps prickle along his skin and his teeth began to chatter; he sorely wished he had more clothes to bring than just tunics. The wind picked up and he wrapped his arms around each other, hunching over and shivering. He looked around himself again desperately.

"There!" he pointed with glee at a silhouette on the horizon; distant but big enough for him to see it through squinting eyes, "That has to be big enough to get away from this stupid cold!"

Navi peeked out from under the brim of his hat, "It'll do, let's get there quick!"

"So now you want to stop for the night?"

"Stop being such an arrogant child and _get over there_!"

His legs were fast becoming doubly numb in the chill but they had enough left in them to make it across the last stretch of grass. The silhouette grew larger as they approached, and larger and larger still until it sprawled out across the width of his sight, a tall fence that stretched impressively far. "What is this?" said Link as his jaw jittered, "It's big; is it the castle?"

Navi peeked out again, "No… it can't be, we've not travelled nearly far enough and, well, it really isn't big _enough_, surely."

"You're right, the stories and that owl made it seem like a castle would be a bit more than a big fence," dismissed Link, "And we'll need more than a fence to keep warm."

"Follow it, with a fence this big there's bound to be a building of some sort nearby," said Navi before hurrying back into the relative warmth atop Link's head. So along the fence he went, keeping a hand on it until they encountered a parting in the slats.

They passed through the gap and beneath an archway which in the moonlight Link could make out had something written on it, though what exactly he couldn't tell. Looking at this land within the fence he found that there was yet more grass, more grass than there was anything else, save for what he assumed where more of those 'buildings' spotting various areas within it. Curious as he was, he was more so frozen and quaking made way for the nearest building.

It was wooden, even in darkness he could tell that from the moment his foot hit the floor and its echo bounced from the walls. He shut the door and already felt a little warmer as heard the wind's low whistle muffled behind him. Navi finally emerged from his hat for good and provided a little illumination to the scene.

Link shuffled further into the small building, which seemed mostly empty save for the wooden columns and small partitions that divided the area up. As the warmth returned to his legs they finally gave in and he slowly collapsed into a pile of what felt and looked like extremely dry grass. It poked and scratched his skin a little but he was too exhausted to notice.

Suddenly acutely aware of just how much his body was aching, he turned on his side and curled up, letting his hat fall aside and not even bothering to remove his boots. Navi settled just above him into the makeshift bed and her light dimmed as she shut her eyes.

"I think -" Link was interrupted by his own wide yawn, "I think we've done a good day's work."

"Don't start feeling so satisfied with yourself, we've got a whole other day ahead of us."

"Just be quiet and let me sleep…"


End file.
